John Campbell Mitchell RSA was a well-respected Scottish painter of landscapes and a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Mitchell was born in Campbeltown, Argyll, where the ever-changing skies were a feast for the imagination. As a boy, he’d gaze up at the skittish clouds as they hurried through their formations, attempting to translate a view onto paper. His environment spurred him on to become an artist of merit and it was nature herself that provided the impetus to succeed. His father attempted to persuade him to pursue a legal career and he was apprenticed at C & D MacTaggart, a lawyer’s office. But his true calling soon became apparent and appropriate tuition was sought.
Around this time, Mitchell’s early portfolio was shown to William McTaggart (1835-1910), another of Campeltown’s artistic residents. McTaggart was celebrated as one of Scotland’s finest landscape painters, so it was a tricky critique. His opinion was that “there may be a great artist in his skin: but he will have to work for about twelve or fifteen years before he discovers it.” Undeterred, Mitchell took the first step by enrolling at Edinburgh’s Trustees Academy.
With McTaggart’s backhanded compliment still ringing in his ears, he approached his training with gusto and, at just 24, exhibited his first work at the RSA. Evidently buoyed by this, next he travelled to Paris and trained under Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902), an academic painter of the first rank. Here, he worked in open air, the French way, and would’ve been immersed into a thriving arts scene. It’s interesting to consider who he connected with during his stay as the impressionists were long established by then.
Upon returning, his career went from strength to strength and he sought inspiration amid the picturesque rolling Galloway moors. He returned often to explore miles of unbroken views, from the peaks to the sea, captivated by panoramic sweeping skies and the surge of intrepid waves.
His finest works harness these elements, with swathes of vigorous blue dominating bustling compositions with bulging clouds and sinuous trees torn by the weather. They’re alive, imbued with a natural energy conveyed through his brush. McTaggart was wrong, it hadn’t taken twelve years.
He continued to exhibit extensively over the course of his life both within Scotland and overseas, including at Munich and Auckland, New Zealand. He was also highly regarded as a teacher and delivered numerous lectures in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, where he spent his later years. In 1918, he was elected a member of the RSA.
Today, he’s represented in numerous public collections including at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, Glasgow Museum, City of Edinburgh Collection, Walker Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture.
Exhibited
Royal Academy, Royal Scottish Academy, The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour, Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, Aberdeen Artists Society.
Public Collections
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Glasgow Museum, City of Edinburgh Collection, Walker Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Campbeltown Museum, Lotherton Hall, Nottingham City Museums & Galleries, Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery, Perth Art Gallery, Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture, The Hunterian (University of Glasgow), The Scottish Arts Club, The Stewartry Museum, The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum.
Timeline
1862
Born in Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland, to John Mitchell, a grocer, Janet Mitchell (nee McMillan).
Apprenticed at C & D MacTaggart, a lawyer’s office.
1884
Enrolled at The Trustees Academy in Edinburgh.
1886
Debuted at the Royal Scottish Academy.
1887
Trained under Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902) in Paris.
1890
Returned to Scotland and lived in Edinburgh.
1901
Undertook an extended stay in Galloway.
1903
Moved to Corstorphine, West Edinburgh.
1904
Elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Elected Chairman of the Council of the Society of Scottish Artists.
1918/1919
Elected a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.
1922
Died in Edinburgh.
Obituaries
The Midlothian Journal.
“The death of John Campbell Mitcheli, R.S.A., took place at Duncree, Corstorphine, on the 15th inst. Mr Campbell Mitchell was a native of Campbeltown and was educated in the Grammar School there. Curiously enough the great McTaggart was also a native of Campbeltown and he saw promise in the youth, and stated that 12 or 15 years might be necessary to develop it.
In 1884, Campbell Mitchell entered the Edinburgh School of Art, visiting Paris and studying under Benjamin Constant. He passed through the Royal Scottish Academy with distinction, and soon showed a penchant for landscapes and seascapes. Galloway was a favourite haunt, and he succeeded specially well with ‘moorland’. Machrihanish also afforded several ‘studies’. Mr Campbell Mitchell's work has been exhibited in Munich, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Stirling, and Auckland (New Zealand).
As a teacher, he taught in the Heriot-Watt College and the Edinburgh School of Art, and in the latter his personality won him all round favour. He was chairman of the Scottish Society of Artists some 17 years ago. In 1904 he was elected an Associate of the R.S.A., and just three years ago a full member. His son, a pupil of George Watson's College, joined up in the Air Force, but was unfortunately killed in the Great War, and his death was a severe blow to his father.
The funeral took place from Corstorphine on Sunday afternoon. Many well-known artists were present to pay a last tribute to their departed friend, and a large number of mourners followed the hearse to Gogar Churchyard where the deceased was wont to go himself for sketching.
The Rev. Peter Beith, M.A., Corstorphine, U.F. Church, officiated at the graveside, and the Rev. James Fergusson was also present. In Corstorphine, Mr Campbell Mitchell has given some really splendid lectures and his presence will be sadly missed by his numerous friends. The sympathy of the community goes out to his wife and son.”