Explore: John Knox

(1778 - 1845)

John Knox, Scottish portrait and landscape painter, was born in Paisley, the son of a merchant. After a period of study in Edinburgh, where he was either a follower or pupil of Alexander Nasmyth, he returned to Glasgow and by 1809 was noted as a portrait painter. However, like Nasmyth, he later turned to landscape. Tending towards panoramic views, his subjects were found in Glasgow, the west of Scotland and northern England. He showed his works at various exhibitions in London from 1829, including the British Institution in Pall Mall, the Royal Academy and the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street, when he was recorded as living in Jermyn Street. Knox died in Keswick in the Lake District, having moved there five years previously.