David Young Cameron

Scottish, 1865-1945

BiographyCameron was the son of the Rev. Robert Cameron and was born in Glasgow, Scotland. From around 1881 he studied at the Glasgow School of Art and in 1885 enrolled at the Edinburgh Schools of Art. Cameron became a skilled etcher making a name for himself in this medium and gaining international recognition by the 1890s. He was elected associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers (RE) in 1889. In 1895 he was elected Fellow of the RE. He exhibited regularly from 1889 to 1902, before resigning his membership in 1903.

His subjects included architectural studies, of which he produced a number of popular ‘sets’ and landscapes. As well as becoming well known as an etcher the artist also produced a great many oil paintings and watercolor sketches of landscapes and architectural subjects. Cameron’s earliest known oil painting dates to 1883. His work was influenced by the Glasgow Boys and the Hague School. After 1907 Cameron’s work showed a greater focus on Scottish landscape subjects and from 1908 to 1917 he moved from etching to painting. Around this time he largely stopped including figures in his compositions, apart from in his architectural studies. By this time his works were receiving wide critical acclaim and he was well known both in the UK and abroad. Around 1908 his work began to lighten in colour, prior to this Cameron’s work had been criticised for being too dark with a heavy use of brown tones. Visits to France and Italy in the 1920s seemed to have a further influence on his works and brought about a much brighter palette.

Person TypeIndividual