In the Nineteen Twenties, the Scottish artist discovered contemporary inspiration in French Catalonia. Steve Turnbull traces his inventive journey…
The great thing about French Catalonia – the Côte Vermeille specifically – has lengthy been the inspiration for artists, most notably Matisse and Picasso. But the lesser-known watercolorist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, left his mark right here too within the Nineteen Twenties. Today, strolling the paths created in tribute to him affords not solely an opportunity to discover his work, however a chance to enterprise off the crushed observe.
Born in Glasgow in 1868, Mackintosh – “Toshie’ to his household and mates – made his title as an Art Nouveau architect and designer. Together together with his artist spouse, Margaret (née MacDonald), he created every part from furnishings and lamps to wallpaper. Yet his work, together with the design for the Glasgow School of Art which is extensively considered his masterpiece, was by no means as admired in Scotland because it was overseas.
As tastes shifted from Art Nouveau in direction of Classicism and commissions dwindled, Mackintosh was compelled to desert structure and design for portray. Making a dwelling from artwork proved equally tough, nevertheless, and in the summertime of 1923 – helped by a modest inheritance from Margaret’s mother-the Mackintoshes left London for the south of France searching for relaxation and renewal.
The Rock – portray on the Port-Vendres path
As Pamela Robertson and Philip Long be aware of their fantastically illustrated 2019 ebook, Charles Rennie Mackintosh in France, the French Pyrenees and province of Roussillon weren’t trendy locations on the time, however the Mackintoshes made a right away connection. Their preliminary base was the enticing spa city of Amélie-les-Bains, the place they stayed in an affordable resort for at the very least two months (the precise chronology of their actions is tough to determine as they left no diaries). They additionally rented a small home close by and tailored it into studios, enabling Mackintosh to provide a number of work of the Vallespir space, which boasts the sometimes Catalan city of Céret and the majestic mountain of Canigou.
NATURAL INSPIRATION
In impact, these work established a blueprint for Mackintosh’s landscapes. They usually featured native structure (quaint villages and rural farmhouses specifically), whereas the fashion remained Art Nouveau/Modernist with sinuous traces, intricate patterns and daring geometric varieties. At first sight, it echoes Cézanne and Cubism, however it’s extra paying homage to the Viennese Secessionists Gustav Klimt (whom Mackintosh admired) and Egon Schiele. Mackintosh additionally produced a number of work of vegetation, together with a pleasant one (dated January 1924) of yellow mimosa flowers heralding the spring. Another portray from the identical interval reveals the monumental rock formation of Héré de Mallet on the otherworldly Orgues d’Ille-sur-Têt, a exceptional geological website not removed from Perpignan.
The Fort portray on the Port-Vendres path
What started as a vacation was a collection of sojourns, because the Mackintoshes turned more and more enchanted with the Roussillon area, the historic coronary heart of French Catalonia that encompasses the Côte Vermeille and is now a part of the Pyrénées-Orientales division. They additionally lived extra comfortably than they did in England, albeit with only a few francs of their pocket.
Summer Palace portray on the Collioure path
But as a lot as they cherished the hinterland with its rolling foothills and river valleys, the couple have been significantly drawn to the coast. Here, not surprisingly, they fell for the charms of Collioure – Margaret described it as “one of the most wonderful places we have ever seen”. The fishing village provided a bohemian watering gap too (now the Hôtel des Templiers) on the foot of the Château Royal, which they frequented with their “arty acquaintances”, Rudolph Ihlee and Edgar Hereford.
There are three panels that includes reproductions of Mackintosh’s watercolors dotted across the southern fringe of the bay in Collioure. But many guests to the world overlook Port-Vendres as they head for the Plage de Paulilles and the picturesque resort of Banyuls-sur-Mer close to the Spanish border. This is a disgrace, as a result of it is the place essentially the most intensive path of Mackintosh’s work (there are 13 in complete) is situated, to not point out numerous fish eating places and fortifications. The path, inaugurated in 2013, begins close to the Poisson Rouge restaurant on the far aspect of the port coming from Collioure. It then snakes round a rocky outcrop guarded by the Redoute de Béar, a fort constructed by the celebrated navy engineer Vauban within the seventeenth century. Listed as an historic monument in 1933 and just lately restored, it homes a small museum on French colonial Algeria. There are seven work to seek out altogether within the space – you may choose up a useful map from the vacationer workplace.
Poisson Rouge restaurant at Port-Vendres
Mackintosh was meticulous, usually making a number of visits to areas to provide the ultimate paintings. But he additionally took inventive license with a lot of his works: instance of that is The Fort (quantity 5 on the path) which repositions the lighthouse throughout the bay on the Redoute du Fanal (one other fort by Vauban) to the higher left nook of the composition. The portray can be typical of Mackintosh’s very graphic sensitivity, softened by washes of shade.
Craggy shoreline at Port-Vendres
The path continues across the marina then climbs to the craggy shoreline for the ultimate portray that includes Fort Mauresque. It additionally intersects with the Sentier Littoral, a splendid hike that runs the size of the Côte Vermeille from Argèles-sur-Mer to Cerbère on the border, providing great sea views.
Of course, bustling Port-Vendres – a business and naval port originating in historical times-is much-changed from the Nineteen Twenties, not least as a result of the quays have been dynamited through the struggle by the retreating Germans. But the Hôtel du Commerce (now reworked into residences) the place the Mackintoshes stayed from 1925 onwards continues to be there, bearing a commemorative bust of Mackintosh on the façade. In his well-written and informative 2013 ebook, On the Trail of Monsieur Mackintosh, Robin Crichton describes how Toshie would sit on the balcony and watch the passenger liners and cargo ships docking from North Africa. He says this era was most likely the couple’s “happiest time of their lives”, regardless of persevering with cash and well being issues.
AN UNTIMELY ENDING
The Center d’interpretation in Port-Vendres, run by the Association Charles Rennie Mackintosh, holds a everlasting exhibition of reproductions, in addition to a small part showcasing Margaret’s Art Nouveau work. The affiliation maintains all 5 trails within the area (the Mackintosh Path), together with 30 work, and welcomes public assist. The different facilities at Bélesta and Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda are nicely price a go to too.
Sadly, the couple’s four-year journey within the south of France got here to an finish in May 1927 when Mackintosh developed most cancers of the tongue (most likely attributable to smoking) and returned to London for therapy. He turned critically ailing and died in December 1928 on the age of 60. After his loss of life, Margaret returned to her beloved Port-Vendres each summer season. It is right here on the Mediterranean that she is claimed to have scattered her husband’s ashes, in accordance together with his needs. She died in 1933, aged 70.
Only just a few of the 40 or so work Mackintosh produced in France have been exhibited earlier than he died, and solely two have been offered. Today, his artworks command six-figure sums. In reality, Mackintosh’s watercolor of the village of Bouleternère was offered at public sale in April 2025 for greater than $150,000. But whereas the wheel of the artwork world continues to show, the distinctive great thing about French Catalonia, captured so eloquently by this Scottish artist, stays as timeless as ever.
The Interpretation Center at Port-Vendres
ROUSSILLON ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
BY AIR
Ryanair flies usually to Perpignan (nearest metropolis) from London Stansted. Or you may additionally fly to Carcassonne.
BY TRAIN
Paris (Gare de Lyon) to Perpignan takes about 5-6 hours and there are roughly 14 trains day by day.
CONTACTS
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Association:
www.crmackintoshroussillon.com
Pyrénées-Orientales tourism:
www.tourism-mediterraneanpyrenees.com
From France Today Magazine
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