Giles was born in Glasgow on 4 January 1801, the son of a designer at the localcalico. The family moved to Aberdeen around 1805 where his father worked in a printing factory at Woodside, Aberdeen, an artist of some repute. His father's early death threw his son at an early age upon his own resources. His mother was named Jean Hector. At 13 he maintained himself, his mother and sister by painting, and before he was 20 was teaching taught private classes in Aberdeen. Shortly afterwards he made a tour through Scotland and visited the continent, and on his return home he was introduced to the Earl of Aberdeen, with whom he became very intimate. His earliest successes were in portrait-painting, however his visit to Italy gave him a taste for classic landscape, which he never entirely lost, for the mist seldom hangs about his mountains, even when the scene is laid near "dark Lochnagar". He was a keen angler, and fond of painting the result of a successful day's fishing. These pictures were his best works. He first exhibited at the "Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts in Scotland", and in 1829 became an academician of the Royal Scottish Academy, and contributed numerous works to its exhibitions from that time until near the close of his career. He also exhibited frequently at the British Institution in London, and occasionally at the Royal Academy and the Society of British Artists. His last work was a painting of himself, his wife, and youngest son, which he left unfinished. In 1852 he is listed as a member of the council to The Spalding Club. He died at his residence at 62 Bon Accord Street, Aberdeen, after a lingering illness, on 6 October 1870. He is buried i the churchyard of St Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen. The large monument marking his grave lies east of the church.
Family
He was twice married. By his first wife, Clementina Farquharson or Ruxton, he had two sons, James and John, one of whom gave great promise as an artist, but died of consumption at the early age of 21. His first wife died in 1866. His second wife was Margaret Walker forty-five years his junior.
Overview
During his lifetime, Giles was among the first to be mentioned as one of the most vital of the Aberdeen artists - his patrons included the landed aristocracy of Aberdeenshire and Queen Victoria - but he has been little remembered in subsequent surveys in Scottish art. This is due in part to the fact that he spent most of his working life in Aberdeen – unlike his contemporaries who left the north-east to find fame in London.
Work
Giles was a versatile artist. He specialised in portrait and landscape painting, but in addition was a successful landscape architect, designing a number of public gardens and monuments in Aberdeen, in addition to landscaping estates in Aberdeenshire. Giles’ spiritual home was Italy, where he spent three years from 1823 to 1826. There he followed the well-trodden pathways of the 18th centuryGrand Tour to the many points of historic interest. The bright Italian light fascinated Giles, and all his sketches are enlivened with an impression of this Mediterranean atmosphere. The sights that he saw and recorded in Italy were to remain with him for the rest of his life. His watercolour sketches often provided materials for the oils he painted and exhibited on his return to Scotland. Some thirty of his works are held at Haddo House and shown on Art UK.Also at Haddo House, a series of water colour paintings by Giles depicting eighty five Scottish castles.
