Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Mackintosh was born in 1868 in Glasgow, Scotland, the eldest of eleven children. In 1884, he started working as an apprentice for John Hutchinson and studied night classes in the Glasgow school of Art. In 1889, he became an assistant architect for Honeyman & Keppie and enrolled in the Glasgow school of Art. During his time in school, he connected with Margaret Macdonald, Frances Macdonald, and Herbert MacNair. The group of four, later known just as “The Four” showcased posters, furniture, and a variety of graphic design exhibits at Glasgow, London, Vienna, and Torino. His design philosophy is deeply rooted in the Scottish tradition. He ignored the Greek and Roman architecture that didn’t suit the Scottish climate and believed that in order to answer Scotland’s needs of the time, you must revive the Scottish aristocratic style and redesign it to fit the modern society. Many of his works also involve his wife’s designs – her flowing, floral style completed his formal style that is characterized by straight lines.
Mackintosh was an Architect, furniture designer and extraordinary painter, who led the way for the modern movement in Scotland. He passed away at 1928 and his designs achieved high popularity in the years after his death. “The House for an Art Lover” that he designed was built in 1996 in Glasgow’s Bellahouston park. The University of Glasgow that owns most of his watercolor collection re-built this building he designed, where most of his work is displayed nowadays.