17. Lamlash / Loch an Eilein
Listen to Gaelic translation
Lamlash, a village on the east coast of Arran sits in a sheltered bay and looks across to the Holy Isle. For this placemaker we celebrate the life and work of James Kay (1858 - 1942) the most well known artist born on the Isle of Arran.
Featured Artist
Kay, James
Born in Lamlash, James Kay (1858 - 1942) is without doubt the most well known artist to be born on Arran, with a career which saw him and his work celebrated both at home and abroad.
Known primarily for his seascapes, often depicting the frenetic energy of harboursides and shipping, Kay depicted a River Clyde which has now largely passed into memory.
Educated at the Glasgow School of Art, Kay, whose work was influenced by the impressionist movement, would go on to regularly exhibit in France, showing his work at the Paris Salon on numerous occassions, winning the gold medal with his work River of the Northin 1903.
Also known for his busy cityscapes, depicting Glasgow, London and locations in France, perhaps his best known painting is 'The Launch of the Lusitania' of 1907, which depicts the ill-fated liner which met her doom off the West Coast of Ireland in 1915 at the hands of a U-boat.
His work is well represented in UK collections, especially in the City of Glasgow where his studio was based.
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