Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Born in Glasgow, GlasgowBorn on 7th of June 1868
Died in London
Died on 10th of December 1928
The Scottish architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed some of the most original buildings and iconic interiors of the last century. He was born in Glasgow on June 7 1868 and aged 16 began working as an architectural apprentice. Following his return from Italy on a travelling scholarship he completed his first major project, the Glasgow Herald office, in 1893.
Mackintosh met his future wife Margaret Macdonald while attending evening classes at Glasgow School of Art. They were married in 1900. Together with Frances her sister and Herbert Macnair they became The Four, exhibiting in Glasgow, London, Turin and Vienna. Their distinctive style combined motifs of art nouveau with more functional modernist elements, often utilizing the contrast of rectilinear design and curvilinear motifs. Mackintosh also drew on traditional forms of Scottish architecture and Japanese design. His work and that of The Glasgow School was first appreciated on the continent where it was seen as being within the modern movement. At home, Mackintosh’s reputation was established with his startlingly original design for the Glasgow School of Art (1897-1909). Like his contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright, Mackintosh paid great attention to the interior and furnishings of his projects. This is evident in The Willow Tea Rooms and Hill House at Helensburgh completed between1902 and1904.
Mackintosh’s architectural career was a short 12 years but his vision was to be hugely influential and today he is recognized as a visionary of genius. Ironically Mackintosh failed to find enough architectural commissions after he set up on his own in 1913. He devoted the remainder of his life to water colour painting. Diagnosed with tongue cancer he died in London December 10 1928.
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