John Phillip

Growing up in Aberdeen John Phillip exhibited a flair for art from an early age. One of his first paintings came to the attention of the politician Lord Panmure who, on seeing the 19-year old’s talent, agreed to pay for him to study at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. There John began specialising in paintings of Scottish life. But it was visits to Spain which transformed his work and earned him the nickname of ‘Spanish Phillip’.

Throughout his time in London John maintained links to Aberdeen, painting portraits of prominent citizens. In the winter of 1851, suffering from ill-health, he made the first of three visits to southern Spain. There he developed a fluent and colourful style strongly influenced by the Spanish artist Velázquez. John’s work soon came to the attention of Queen Victoria and in 1854 the royal couple exchanged paintings by John Phillip as Christmas presents. John’s final visit to Spain in 1860 further influenced his handling of colour and atmosphere, and cemented his reputation as one of the leading artists of his day.