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Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 - 1928). Born in Glasgow in 1868 and started his architecture career at 15 years old after he was apprenticed to an architect, called John Hutchinson. Mackintosh worked for Hutchinson between 1884 and 1889. He also attended classes at the Glasgow School of Art where he met Margaret MacDonald (later became his wife), Frances MacDonald and Herbert McNair. The group became known as "The Four" and they staged exhibitions together, which helped to raise Mackintosh's profile. Mackintosh has a very distinctive architectural and interior style. There is a definite modernity to his style but also a strong Scottish tradition combined with Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts influences. The Mackintosh style combines sharp right angles with subtle curves and his work is peppered with decorative floral motifs, the most famous being the Mackintosh Rose. The majority of his work centered on Glasgow and coincided with the economic boom at the turn of the century when Glasgow was transformed into a major industrial city. The increased wealth of the city provided Mackintosh with many varied commissions and his work can be easily divided into 3 key areas of interest: public buildings, private buildings and tea rooms. He developed his own style: a contrast between strong right angles and floral-inspired decorative motifs with subtle curves, e.g. the Mackintosh Rose motif, along with some references to traditional Scottish architecture. The project that helped make his international reputation was the Glasgow School of Art (1897-1909). He died in 1928 of throat cancer.