Arthur Pillans Laurie
| Arthur Pillans Laurie | |
|---|---|
 Professor Arthur Pillans Laurie (painting, 1930) was elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1922. Trained in the Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, he was friends with the artist Holman Hunt, and wrote various papers on the scientific aspects of painting such as 'The Pigments and Mediums of the Old Masters' and 'Processes, Pigments and Vehicles'. From 1912, he held the chair in chemistry at the Royal Academy of Arts and he had become Principal of Heriot-Watt College in 1900. He was the author of many publications, in particular on artists methods and pigments. | |
| Born | 6 November 1861 Edinburgh |
| Died | 7 October 1949 (aged 87) |
| Residence | London |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Fields | Chemistry, Analysis of paintings |
| Institutions | Royal College of Arts |
| Alma mater | Cambridge University |
| Known for | Infra-red photography of paintings |
| Influences | William Holman Hunt |
Arthur Pillans Laurie (1861-1949) was a Scottish chemist who pioneered the scientific analysis of paintings. He was associated with The Link and a great admirer of Hitler and National Socialist Germany. In 1939, he published The Case for Germany.
Life
Laurie was educated at Edinburgh Academy, the University of Edinburgh and then King's College, Cambridge, where he took a first in science in 1884.[1]
The pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt interested Laurie in the chemistry of paint and the scientific analysis of paintings. Laurie pioneered the use of chemical analysis to discover the composition of artworks, and so to show their true age and origins. He was the first to use infra-red photography to reveal deeper layers of paint. Through infra-red work, he found the date of a Rembrandt self-portrait where the date painted by the artist had later been covered up.[1]
In 1895, Laurie became a lecturer at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, and joined the Royal Commission on Secondary Education.[1]
In 1898, the Royal College of Physicians made him an examiner in chemistry.[1]
In 1900, Laurie became the principal of Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh. He held this position until 1928.[1]
In 1912, Laurie became the professor of chemistry to the Royal Academy of Arts.[1]
In 1929, he stood as a candidate for parliament at the General Election in the constituency of Edinburgh South for the Liberal party, finishing second.
Laurie became a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).[2]
Publications (excerpt)
Among Laurie's many technical writings are the following.[1]
- The Food of Plants, (1893)
- Facts About Processes, Pigments, and Vehicles - a Manual for Art Students, (1895)
- Greek and Roman Methods of Painting, (1910)
- The Materials of the Painter's Craft in Europe and Egypt, from the Earliest Times to the End of the XVIIth Century, (1910)
- The Pigments and Mediums of the Old Masters, (1914)
- The Painter's Methods and Materials, (1926)
- A Study of Rembrandt and the Painting of his School, (1929)
- The Brush Work of Rembrandt and his School, (1932)
- Pictures and Politics, (1934)
- New Light on Old Masters, (1935)
- The Case for Germany (1939); [1] also read here]
Family
His father was the educator Simon Somerville Laurie. He was the brother of zoologist Malcolm Laurie (1866-1932), both of whom were also fellows of the RSE.[2]
Bibliography
- Year Book of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1950 (Session 1948-1949), Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 1951.
- Who's Who 1938, A&C Black, London, 1937.
- Rawlins, FIG; Hartley, Harold; Farmer, RC; Stacey, M. (1950). "Obituary notices: Arthur Pillans Laurie, 1861–1949; Sir Henry Miers, 1858–1942; Sir Robert Robertson, 1869–1949; F. E. Whitmore, 1923–1949". Journal of the Chemical Society (0): 429-441.
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Laurie. Biographical Information. NAHSTE (Navigational Aids for the History of Science, Technology & the Environment). Retrieved on October 09, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783-2002. Biographical Index, Part Two. Royal Society of Edinburgh (July 2006). Retrieved on 8 October 2012.
