The Goatherd, Joseph Crawhall. © The Burrell Collection

What springs to mind when you think of Morocco? Couscous? Souks? Or perhaps Humphrey Bogart in all his brooding glory in Casablanca.

But as the Burrell Collection’s current exhibition, Joseph Crawhall – An artist in Morocco and Spain, demonstrates, there is more to this hippy trail hotspot than meets the eye.

Running until April 17 2006, the exhibition showcases a selection of 20 paintings from the Burrell’s private collection of works by the artist, and marks the first in a series of yearly Crawhall exhibitions. Sir William Burrell was one of Crawhall’s most enthusiastic patrons, and purchased 132 of his works between the 1880’s and 1952.

Noorah Al-Gailani, curator for Islamic civilizations at the Burrell Collection, said: “Every day there are people turning up specifically for the Crawhall exhibition, and the general feedback has been terrific. The exhibition focuses on images depicting his time in Morocco, and the place at the time, rather than on his more famous works.”

An Arab Raid c.1888, Joseph Crawhall. © The Burrell Collection

Born in Newcastle in 1861, Joseph Crawhall developed a reputation as a first class animal painter, frequently injecting his sense of humour into the paintings to capture both appearance and personality.

Crawhall began his training in Glasgow during the nineteenth century and is often associated with the group of artists known as the Glasgow Boys, who rebelled against the minutely detailed and resolved style that was fashionable at that time.

It is an ethos that is reflected in his minimalist painting style; Crawhall’s works focus on light, colour, design and composition, rejecting the rigid form of the previously historical set pieces.

His innate ability to capture everyday scenes with great economy of line was much admired, so much so that Sir John Lavery, the founder of the Glasgow School, once said of him, ‘No artist I have known could say more with fewer brush strokes.’

In 1884, Crawhall travelled to Morocco and Spain, where he spent nine years exposed to a climate that lends itself well to watercolour. The resulting works are humorous and vibrant, capturing a previously unseen side of Tangier and southern Spain between 1884 and 1893.

Mary, Eileen and President, Joseph Crawhall. © The Burrell Collection

Standout pieces include ‘The Goatherd’ and ‘Mary, Eileen and President’. The former depicts a sun soaked image of a young goatherder on a Moroccan hillside, while the latter is an affectionate handmade card for one of his pen pals. Both pieces capture his fascination with animals and a unique sense of humour.

Noorah said: “He loved animals, he was famous for it. By focusing on animals he was different from his contemporaries.”

“I think the unique angle of the work is what is attracting people. These works tend to get overshadowed by his more famous paintings, but by focusing on one aspect of Crawhall’s work, we have allowed them to stand out and let people take notice of the more unusual pieces.”