Pictured: Heather Blanchard, Merse Walk, from the online exhibition 'Escape' at the Whitehouse Gallery in - ARTMAG
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5 February 2021
Issue 149
Pictured: Heather Blanchard,
Merse Walk, from the
online exhibition ‘Escape’ at
the Whitehouse Gallery in
Kirkcudbright
YEAR-LONG COURSES
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FOUNDATION | PAINTING | DRAWING
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13-15 Bank Street, Aberfeldy PH15 2BB www.LeithSchoolofArt.co.uk | Enquiries@LeithSchoolofArt.co.uk
angela@artisanand.co.uk www.artisanand.co.uk 01887 822 700 / 07703 733 230 Leith School of Art, 25 North Junction Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6HW
2 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 3
ARTS NEWS
I
n 2017 an anonymous buyer – Artmag was saddened to hear of the death
since revealed as Saudi Arabia’s in December of Richard Ross, co-owner
Ministry of Culture – bought with partner Maureen Briggs of the High
Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the St Gallery in Kirkcudbright.
World), attributed to Leonardo A 1972 graduate of Glasgow School
da Vinci, for $450 million, a world record of Art, where his lecturers included John
auction price. However, concerns about Cunningham, James D. Robertson and
its authenticity circulated before and Leon Morrocco, Richard helped design
after the sale. the famous Muscular Arms bar in Glasgow
Now, as reported in The Art and stage sets for Billy Connolly before
Newspaper, a forensic examination exhibiting throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and
of the painting using computer-aided ‘90s in solo and group exhibitions.
technology developed specifically for After moving to Kirkcudbright in
works of art has used colour-coding to 1999, he and Maureen established the
grade various areas of the painting as High St Gallery, which exhibited many
‘highly likely’ (red), ‘moderately likely’ of their peers from Glasgow School of
(gold), ‘moderately unlikely’ (green) Art and Edinburgh Art College, including
and and ‘highly unlikely’ (blue) to have Peter Howson, Jolomo, Davy Brown,
been painted by Leonardo himself. It is James Macaulay, John Bellany and James
speculated that those areas not likely to D. Robertson. The gallery continues to
have been painted by Da Vinci are by his specialise in contemporary and fine art and
pupils, associates or followers. antiques and collectables.
The Saudi Ministry of Culture exhibition on the 500th anniversary of Da Richard continued to develop his
withdrew permission for the painting Vinci’s birth and it has not been seen in own work, which includes landscapes
to be included in the Louvre’s 2019 public since its purchase. of Dumfries and Galloway and studies
of flowers, leaves and insects. Pictured:
Autumn Leaf www.highstgallery.co.uk
recent acquisitions
view all online
Red Tango for John Mixed media 84 x 122cm
Christine
McArthur
An Lanntair, the arts hub in Stornoway in the “Placing (the activities) online has actually
Outer Hebrides, has redesigned its Between presented the opportunity for broader
roger billcliffe gallery
Islands project, which was originally based on audiences to view these resources. We
134 blythwood street
glasgow live performances and physical exhibitions, already know that the project’s YouTube
g2 4el to be enjoyed online. With a range of short channel has been recording views from the
films, musical performances and museum USA, Canada, Germany and New Zealand as
0141 332 027 exhibitions, Between Islands links arts and well as the UK.” Pictured: Between Islands
infobillcliffegallery.com heritage organisations throughout the fiddlers (l-r): Jane Hepburn (Outer Hebrides),
www.billcliffegallery.com
Northern and Western Isles. Maggie Adamson (Shetland) & Louise Bichan
Says project coordinator Alex Macdonald: (Orkney) www.betweenislands.com
4 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 5
ARTS NEWS
Perthshire Artisans, the platform for
Tulips
Stars of CCTV
creative talent in the region, has doubled its
number of members to 18 since its launch in
June 2020. The project was developed by the
enterprise agency GrowBiz, which supports
people starting or growing a business in rural
Art for your heart and home Scotland and provides business support to
help them develop new markets. Nearly 25
Stay safe and browse per cent of adults in rural Scotland are self-
employed, more than twice the rate of urban
areas. bodycare products. All prices shown on
Work produced by the members of the website include postage within the UK.
Perthshire Artisans includes paintings, prints, Pictured: Rectangular stud earrings by Kate
textiles, fine art photography, jewellery, glass, McLaughlin of Align Jewellery
illustration, sculpture, ceramics and artisanal www.perthshire-artisans.scot
Having been forced to postpone
T
Jolomo’s solo exhibition until September,
he Fraser Gallery in St
Edinburgh’s Torrance Gallery has an
Andrews has a series of vibrant
online mini-show of his work (Feb 6-27).
floral studies by David Mackie The gallery continues a relationship with
MARCH FIONA STURROCK Cook. A graduate of Duncan of
FEBRUARY GERALD MCGOWAN Jolomo whch began with some of his
Jordanstone School of Art and Design in earliest exhibitions in the 1970s before
10 Braemar Rd, Ballater 013397 55888 Dundee, where he trained under Alberto he went on to achieve huge success.
www.larksgallery.com Morrocco and David McClure, Cook (b. Pictured: Heavy Snowfall, An Cliseam,
1957) is considered an ‘art brut’ painter. He Isle of Harris
works from a restored fisherman’s cottage The gallery currently has a Try the
on the North Sea coast in Aberdeenshire, Torrance at Home programme. If you live
where the environment has imbued his in the City of Edinburgh, the gallery will
work with a sense of belonging as he bring work that you may have seen on
01294 472 222 depicts the changing seasons, from the
daffodils of spring to the raw, bleak drama
their website for you to view ‘in the flesh’
from the safety of your front door. They
www.artnjoy.co.uk of winter. Pictured: Hollyhocks, Artist’s
Garden
can even leave it with you if you provide
card details for security purposes.
48 & 52 HAMILTON ST, SALTCOATS KA21 5DS www.torrancegallery.co.uk
www.frasergallery.co.uk
The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival is
showcasing the winning entries to its 2021
Photography Competition, all taken in the
Hebrides (Feb 6-Mar 27). Hosted by An
Lanntair, the arts hub in Stornoway, the
festival takes place against some of most
extraordinary dark skies in the UK. In winter,
298 Portobello High St
in particular, many astronomical sights can
Portobello be seen through the naked eye, including
Edinburgh the Orion Nebula (over 1,500 light years
EH15 2AS away), the Milky Way Galaxy and the Great
Andromeda Galaxy. The Aurora Borealis,
07835 813689 better known as the Northern Lights,
can also be seen from the Western Isles.
velveteasel.co.uk Pictured: Grant Anderson, 100 Thousand
art@velveteasel.co.uk Million Star Hostel (Gearrannan, Isle of
Lewis)
www.lanntair.com
6 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 7
ANATOMY OF A PAINTING
Limited edition print of the original painting
FINE ART GALLERY ‘Come Home Soon’ by Alexander Millar
This new, signed artwork recalls an industrial era when the family breadwinner
worked long hours and leisure time was limited. It is one of a collection that revisits the
artist’s signature themes of placing the working man in wider dramatic cityscapes.
small works
www.resipolestudios.co.uk
loch sunart | acharacle | argyll | ph36 4hx
view all artwork online
Analysing a
ainted with great fluency and an
impressive use of chiaroscuro*,
the work is significant both for
Masterpiece
its style and subject matter.
Order online alexandermillar.com or Showing the influence of
Heath’s friend and mentor, the Irish
info@alexandermillar.com painter Stanhope Forbes RA, it bears the
hallmarks of the first generation Newlyn
Princes Square 55-59 Grey Street
Frank Gascoigne Heath (1873-1936), A Game of Cut-Throat Euchre, School ethos of painting ‘plein air’ social
Buchanan Street Newcastle 1909, oil on canvas, courtesy of Penlee House Gallery and Museum, realism, which focused on ordinary
Glasgow upon Tyne people engaged in everyday activities. *A
Penzance, Cornwall. Heath was a member of the Newlyn School, term originating in the Renaissance for
0141 221 7565 0191 230 4440
named for the Cornish fishing village and the colony of artists which the use of strong contrast between light
emerged there. (Italian, ‘chiaro’) and dark (‘scuro’)
8 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 9
ANATOMY OF A PAINTING
By the 1900s, the strict use of the scene is intimate. The men, dressed in away in the foreground by the picture
square brush which characterised the fishermen’s smocks (ganseys), sit in the frame.
movement in the 1880s had moved on. shadows of the hold with the sunlight The image of the Cornish card
However, the core principles remained streaming down through the hatch. The players also has a strong cultural
and this picture is a remarkable and light is diffused by the haze from the resonance. Cornwall’s right to National
arresting example of the Newlyn School men’s pipe and cigarette smoke, and Minority Status was recognised by the
painters’ concern with representing all the players appear absorbed in their Government in 2014. The painting was
scenes from modern life. game. acquired from a private collection in
Euchre, a five-card trick game 2017 and is a favourite with visitors of
traditionally played by four players, is still all ages to the Penlee House Gallery
played in Cornwall and the southwest The work bears the and Museum, which recognises and
of England. It was taken overseas by hallmark of the first celebrates Cornish culture in giving young
migrant Cornish workers and today there people confidence and encouragement
are euchre leagues in the United States, generation Newlyn School to identify with their cultural identity.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ethos of painting ‘plein air’ The museum’s most popular
Four men are seated in the shadowy artists are the Newlyn School painters
hold of a fishing boat. Only three of
social realism Stanhope Forbes, Elizabeth Forbes,
them are playing – a variant known Norman Garstin, Walter Langley, Frank
as ‘cut-throat’ euchre. The powerful The man seated on the right, playing Bramley, Lamorna Birch and Laura Knight
presence of the three card players is a face card, wears a boat pilot’s red cap. (the subject of the museum’s next
emphasised by the grand scale of the The viewer is drawn into their inner exhibition, due to open on April 28).
EXHIBITION CONTINUES ONLINE picture, which measures 1.5 metres circle and the drama of the game by www.penleehouse.org.uk
WWW.TATHAGALLERY.COM
across. the smallness of the space and the giant
However, for all its grand scale, the scale of the figures, two of whom are cut
LEX MCFADYEN & MADELEINE HAND
40 YEARS IN THE MAKING
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10 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 11
ART & TRAVEL ART & TRAVEL
The museum’s collection includes
approximately 3,500 paintings, 1,000
sculptures and 60,000 graphic works
spanning European art movements from the
late Middle Ages to the present day.
German artists and movements are
particularly well represented. They include
the Renaissance (Lucas Cranach, Hans
Holbein), the Romantics (Caspar David
Friedrich), Impressionism (Max Liebermann,
Lovis Corinth), Symbolism (Max Klinger),
Expressionism (Leipzig-born Max Beckmann,
who has a room of his own), Neue
Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity, as in the work
of Otto Dick) and the three generations of
the Leipzig School.
The highlight of the sculpture collection
A visitor admires Max Klinger’s Beethoven sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts.
is the massive Beethoven sculpture by Max
Klinger, dominating the room which also
tour. The exception is Tuesdays, when the Biedermeier.
houses his huge painting, Christ in Olympus.
gallery is open to all. There is a relaxing The immense range of objects includes
www.mdbk.de
lounge overlooking the St Thomas Church. stained glass, textiles, gold and silverware,
www.g2-leipzig.de decorative and utilitarian pewter, metalwork,
On the third floor of a former data centre
wood carvings (particularly beautifully
built in the late 1980s (and resembling a
Named after a Leipzig businessman of Italian carved and gilded Gothic altars), furniture,
Positive projections
giant accordeon), the entrepreneur Steffen
descent who bequeathed funds to the city Chinese tapestry and Meissen china.
Hildebrand shows selections from his private
to build art venues, the Grassi Museum The “Wow!” factor comes when entering
collection in G2 Kunsthalle. (‘Kunst’ is
is one of around 20 “Cultural Lighthouses” the stunning Art Deco column hall, named
German for art.) The 1,000-plus square metre
in the German government’s Blue Book of after its twelve floor to ceiling triangular
space is ideal for presenting contemporary
culturally significant sites in the former East columns. All radiant red and shining gold, it is
art, with the works popping out from
Germany. surely one of Europe’s finest gallery spaces.
A large hall in the Kunstkraftwerk (Art Power Station) is used for immersive sound and light installations. dazzling white walls and reflecting off the
One of three museums in the complex www.grassimuseum.de
smooth, bare floors.
(the others are devoted to Ethnology and
The focus of the collection,
Leipzig has a new Museum of Fine Arts, the New New Leipzig School, is the movement’s third
generation after its original founders, then
contemporary painting in Leipzig, is
Musical Instruments), the Applied Arts
Museum traces 3,000 years of European
Plagwitz
Within a short distance of one another in
presented in annually changing exhibitions by
Leipzig School and new art hubs in old industrial their students.
The population of the city has more than
established and emerging post-reunification
and world culture through over 90,000 the Plagwitz area west of the city centre,
objects spanning antiquity to the present several venues born out of former industrial
buildings doubled in the last 20 years and the influx of
artists, notably of the New Leipzig School.
day. Eras and movements include Roman, sites have driven the emergence of a lively
H
Some of the more popular works remain on
creative types from other parts of Germany Baroque, Asian, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Art creative quarter.
permanent display.
istorically, Leipzig’s standing as a city of classical music, with stellar names as well as other countries has seen it referred Deco, Gothic, Rococo, French Classicism and
Visits are by appointment for a guided
was as a medieval mercantile like Kurt Masur, J.S. Bach, Richard Wagner and to as “the next Berlin”.
centre at the crossroads of Felix Mendelssohn often wowing audiences
major trade routes in the there. It is also home to the legendary Central district
middle of Europe. Today the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Walking around After the destruction of its original, Italian
city continues to host major fairs and has the compact city centre you may spot Renaissance-style building in a WWII air
become a distribution hub for both Amazon brass ribbons embedded in paving stones raid, the Museum of Fine Arts went on a
and DHL. symbolising ‘Spring like a river moves through 60-year odyssey through several temporary
Politically, the city wears the leading the air’ from Robert Schumann’s Symphony homes. The collection is now settled in
role it played in the Peaceful Revolution of No. 1. the city centre in its cavernous, 36-metre
1989 like a badge of honour. After prayers Artistically, Leipzig is where Germany’s high glass cube, with exposed concrete,
for peace at St. Nicholas Church, the first association of the fine arts was founded shell limestone and oak dominating the
“Monday demonstrations” became the most and the city’s contribution to visual art is interior. Its courtyards and terraces echo the
prominent mass protests against the East often referred to in terms of ‘schools’, even if famous ‘Passagen’ (passages) – arcade-like
German government. the artists themselves do not always accept connections which still link many Leipzig
Culturally, Leipzig is probably best known the description. The most recent wave, the buildings. Installation view of the G2 Kunsthalle with artworks from the Hildebrand Collection by Neo Rauch, David Schnell,
Uwe Kowski and Christoph Ruckhäberle © The artists & G2 Kunsthalle, Leipzig, Photo: Dotgain.info
12 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 13
ART & TRAVEL
Once the site of Europe’s largest cotton-
ADVERTISE
spinning mill, the Spinnerei covers an area
equivalent to about two dozen football
WITH US!
fields. Obsolete by the early 1990s, by which
time the cotton industry had shifted to Asia,
the complex underwent several changes of
use before emerging as the art and craft hub
it is today with the slogan ‘From cotton to
culture’.
Where once stood a 19th century
27 November 2020
factory town complete with workers’ homes,
Issue 141
allotment gardens and a kindergarten (all of
which have survived intact), there is now an
artists’ village of over 100 studios (including
those of New Leipzig School members Neo
Rauch and David Schnell), galleries (such as
the influential Eigen+Art in the former steam
14TH ANNUAL
ART & CRAFT
GIFT GUIDE
Dozens of gift ideas
for art-lovers!
Her Best Side by Garry Harper
engine hall) and exhibition spaces.
is from the Winter Mixed
Exhibition at The Velvet Easel
Gallery in Portobello.
Other residents include architects, The magnificent Art Deco column hall in the Grassi Museum, Photo: Christoph Sandig
printers, fashion designers, a goldsmith, a
pottery, a porcelain manufacturer and an
enormous arts supply store. Artists and
makers open their studios to the public
three times a year. www.spinnerei.de
6 November 2020
Issue 138
Built in 1863 as a gasworks, taken over by
a tram company, then turned into a power
station, the Kunstkraftwerk (Art Power
Station) has retained many of its original
These ceramic lampshades by
Gavin Burnett and ceramic plate
features and fittings such as boilers, a coal
funnel, a dust filter, steam distributor and
and pourer by Natalie J. Wood
are featured in the first ever
Craft Week Scotland (Nov 9-15).
Photo: Susan Castillo.
See ARTS NEWS.
conveyor belts. Softly illuminated, these
exposed mechanical innards now resemble
metal sculptures.
No effort has been made to sanitise
the imposing building, and the bare brick
Gallery for Contemporary Art
walls and floors seem permeated by the
10 July 2020
Issue 121
smell of machinery and fuel, making for
an intoxicating mix of bygone industry
and contemporary art. The walls and
floor of one huge space act as projection
screens for immense, immersive sight and
sound installations such as the Van Gogh
Experience, enveloping visitors in Vincent’s
Ydance (Scottish Youth Dance) is a
recipient of funding from the £13
art. www.kunstkraftwerk-leipzig.com
million William Syson Foundation
endowment to support the
Scottish arts sector. For information
on new funding see ARTS NEWS.
Another repurposed industrial site in
Photo: Paul Watt
Plagwitz is the Tapetenwerk, formerly home
40% DISCOUNT to the second largest wallpaper factory in
Germany. (In the 1990s it produced place
DURING LOCKDOWN! mats for Lufthansa.)
ENQUIRIES: 07968 191032 The former manufacturing hall, workshop
publisher@artmag.co.uk areas and office buildings are now home
to nearly 20 artists, makers, designers and Once a wallpaper factory, the Tapetenwerk is now an artist’s studio complex.
14 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 15
ART & TRAVEL
architects who exhibit their work in the on- and crane manufacturer.
Elena Guillaumin Autumn Joy
site galleries and stage a “Tapetenwerkfest”
MILTON twice a year to give visitors a close-up look
at their work spaces and methods.
A couple of kilometres from the city centre
on the edge of the Johannapark, the Gallery
ART GALLERY www.tapetenwerk.de for Contemporary Art is housed in the
former villa of a newspaper owner. The first
Also in the Plagwitz area is the Niemeyer contemporary art museum established in
Sphere, one of the last projects by the the former East Germany after the wall
late Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. came down, its permanent collection of
Realised posthumously, the white concrete some 1,500 objects by over 300 artists is
and glass structure hovers over the corner presented in a series of changing exhibitions The Leipzig Art Fair
of a 19th century factory in the Techne accompanied by special themed shows.
Sphere industrial complex and serves as an www.gfzk-leipzig.de
extension of the canteen of the Kirow tram
Annual events
Usually held in late October/early
November, the Kunstmesse Leipzig (Leipzig
Art Fair) presents contemporary art by 80 or
so exhibitors from around the world.
View online www.kunstmesse-leipzig.de
First Daffodils Ury – Francis Boag
Now introducing 138 South Street
A Scottish Winter Collection
Visit our website or view St Andrews, KY16 9EQ Usually around the third week in October,
01334 474331 the Grassimesse is a jury-selected show for
our social media pages info@sprosongallery.com craftmakers, designers and manufacturers in
www.sprosongallery.com
during lockdown A contemporary art gallery in St Andrews sprosongallery
areas such fabric, fashion, jewellery, ceramics,
glass, furniture, metal and paper.
www.grassimesse.de
Neil Macdonald | Winter Light Stromness
The Niemeyer Sphere hovers over the corner of a tram and crane factory.
Further info: www.leipzig.travel
Crovie – Kanita Sim
The Neo Rauch Room in the Museum of Fine Arts. Rauch is a leading figure of the New Leipzig School. New Leipzig School
Milton of Crathes, Banchory AB31 5QH Photo: A. Schmidt/Punctum The term “New Leipzig School” came into
info@miltonart.com use in the early 2000s, the third phase of a
01330 844 664 movement first established by artists in the
www.miltonart.com late 1970s in communist East Germany, then
progressed by their students such as Arno
MIXED WINTER EXHIBITION Rink.
The third generation, the New Leipzig
School, relates to post-reunification art
characterised chiefly by a combination of
5 December 2020 to 28 February 2021 figurative and abstract elements. Prominent
Featuring work from;
painters in this group are Neo Rauch and
Claire Beattie, George Birrell, Georgina Bown, Chris Brook, Davy Brown, Alison Burt, Dominique David Schnell and parallels can be seen
Cameron, Alan Connell, Jimmy Cosgrove, Matthew Draper, Michael Durning, Ronnie Fulton, George between their successes and those of the
Gilbert, Andy Heald, John Kingsley, Simon Laurie, Sarah Lawson, Steven Lindsay, Alan Macdonald, Young British Artists (YBAs).
Carolynda Macdonald, Neil Macdonald, Rachel Marshall, Alice McMurrough, Alison McWhirter, Sandy While used as a label and marketing
Murphy, Jim Rae, Naoko Shibuya and many more. tool in the world of art dealership, “Leipzig
7-8 Stanley Road, Gullane EH31 2AD School” is a tag most of the artists reject
Autumn at Dalquahandy Farm – Deborah Phillips t: 01620 249389 | e: info@fidrafineart.co.uk | www.fidrafineart.co.uk because of its vagueness.
16 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 17
CRAFT & DESIGN CRAFT & DESIGN
Based in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders, stained glass artist
Emma Butler-Cole Aiken has undertaken over 70 commissions
for public and private buildings. Inspired by natural forms
and landscape, she uses mostly traditional methods, working
exclusively with the English Antique Glass company to create
lively and sometimes unpredictable elements.
www.ebcaglass.com
Textile artist Sheila Mortlock explores how memory relates to Anna Nichols of ALN Furniture specialises in bespoke, high quailty
place and landscape, in particular how croft boundary markers in the timber products using locally sourced woods. From private dwelling
northwest Highlands separate the cultivated from the uncultivated, staircases, boardroom furniture or fitted bookcases to wardrobes,
the tamed from the wild. Working from sketchbook drawings and kitchen tops and coffee tables, each piece is hand-crafted to
photographs, she builds the textural surface of the pieces with layers order from 2D drawings, 3D models or photo-realistic renderings
Hand-made
of hand- and machine-stitched fabric. www.sheilamortlock.co.uk to the customer’s specifications. www.alnfurniture.co.uk
for you & your home
Photo: Shannon Tofts
Inspired by patterns in the land by her studio Until relatively recently baskets were a part Using both digital and traditional metal
on the Isle of Skye, ceramicist Patricia of everyday life for buying, selling, carrying, working methods, Aberdeen-based Aubin
Shone creates highly individual, functional fishing, storing and other essential uses. Stewart creates vibrant, contemporary
vessels in which the natural textures Using traditional basket-making techniques, jewellery with a focus on pearls, leather and
produced by clay reflect the formation Deeside-based Helen Jackson derives great perspex elements. Designs are often inspired
and erosion in the geology of the land. She satisfaction from planting a cutting of willow, by natural forms reduced to the simplest of
prefers hand-building, but also uses the watching it grow, harvesting it, then weaving shapes and patterns with the aim of adding
wheel to bring energy and spontaneity to it into something both functional and joy and colour to everyday life.
the work. www.patriciashone.co.uk beautiful. www.helenjacksonbaskets.com www.aubinjewellery.com
18 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 19PUBLIC ART PUBLIC ART
by the artist exploring the impact of Shauna McMullan, Travelling the
place on poets. Distance, installation of 100 hand-
Nicol approaches landscape painting written porcelain sentences, 2006
with a desire to invite questions about The sentences were collected by the
how environment influences imagination, artist on a journey around Scotland
both her own and that of Scotland’s to meet 99 women, each of whom
writers. A particular inspiration was was asked to write something about
Alexander Moffat’s painting Poets’ Pub, a woman they felt had made a
a fictional gathering of celebrated poets significant contribution to life, culture or
and writers which conveys a Scottish democracy in Scotland. The artist asked
culture characterised by connections each woman to refer her to another
across time and place. woman until she reached the final one.
John Bellany, Fishers in the Snow, sustain human life. In the foreground two
oil on board, 1966 haunted-looking figures resembling icons
Bellany (1942-2013) is known for large stare out at the viewer. The cool colours
scale paintings which reflect on everyday convey a sombre mood and a sense of
life and aspects of the human condition. cold, wintry conditions.
The sea and fishing were key themes for Bellany was influenced at the time
an artist born in Port Seton to a family by large scale social realist paintings by
of fishermen and boat-builders. His work the French artist Gustave Courbet, in
also explored the role of the church and particular his A Burial at Ornans (1849-
traditions of Calvinism in Scotland. 50) showing small town life on a grand
Showing a group of fishermen scale usually reserved for allegorical or
gathered around a catch, the painting, religious subjects. Bellany’s grouping of
Art of
Ruth Nicol, Holyrood 2014, acrylic on canvas
from early in the artist’s career, refers figures also recalls Sir James Guthrie’s A
to fishing as a sacrifice of nature to Highland Funeral (1882).
Lowrie Morrison (“Jolomo”), Ruth Nicol
and George Wylie.
Comprising oil paintings, sculpture,
Parliament
photography, textile, mixed media works
and installations, the collection reflects
the accessibility of the Parliament
building, and in keeping with its ‘open
display’ policy artworks are rarely
behind glass or barriers. There is a free,
one-hour guided tour, Discover the Art
Artwork on display throughout the Scottish of Parliament. Here are some of the
highlights.
Parliament embodies the spirit and character Siobhan Healy, Ghost Orchid, glass,
2012
of the nation Ruth Nicol, Holyrood 2014, Healy specialises in making glasswork
B
acrylic on canvas (See main image.) about rare and fragile wild plant species.
ased around themes such represents some 50 artists and This painting shows the Scottish The Ghost Orchid, previously declared
as our relationship with the craftmakers, including Ian Hamilton Parliament building nestled between extinct for over 20 years, was sighted
environment and the sea Finlay, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Christine the Salisbury Crags and Royal Mile again in 2009. The discovery was initially
and our identity and history Borland, Alison Watt, Callum Innes, buildings from the vantage point of the kept secret, but is now widely celebrated
as people living in Scotland, the art Alison Kinnaird, John Bellany, The Boyle Commonwealth War Graves cemetery by the botanical community.
collection in the seat of government Family, David Mach, Kenny Hunter, John near Regent Street. It is one of a number
20 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 21PUBLIC ART
Kenny Hunter, Three works from the
Opus series (IV, V and VIII), cement
fondue on concrete block & plinth,
1992
On loan from Edinburgh’s City Art
Centre and first displayed in 1991 in
an exhibition entitled Hyperboreans
at Glasgow’s Compass Gallery (the
Hyperboreans were a northern race living
a long way from the southern centre of
the classical world), these works express
the artist’s concern that a distorted,
white, Eurocentric construction of
history developed since the 18th century
ignores the roots of classical civilisation
in Afro-Asiatic and Semitic traditions.
Inspired by real life models, the
figures refer to the classical language
of sculpture, which Hunter has subtly
altered to include the notion of
foreignness. He has also used modern
materials such as cement and candle wax
around the irises of the eyes.
Maureen Hodge, Fields of Endeavour: to express many strands of meaning tapestry, named after the historic Paris
FLAT CAT Territory II, Gobelin tapestry, 2004, in order to convey a sense of the factory, but referring to a tradition which
GALLERY woven by Susan Mowatt & Ellen
Lerwick
complexity of Scotland’s history and
territory.
can be traced back to ancient Egypt and
possibly earlier.
With this work Maureen Hodge aimed The work is a Gobelin high loom The artist has used a number of
symbols, such as hearts, saltires and
crosses, along with ‘hidden’ texts,
including the different names by which
Scotland has been known – Alba,
Caledonia, Fortrui, Pictland and Scotia –
and quotes by writers which reflect on
Amanda Phillips
Scotland’s historical and contemporary
position within Europe.
These include the poet Edwin Muir
(‘We are a family, a tribe, a people’),
Online Alain Chartier, the Chancellor of Bayeux
Mixed Winter Exhibition in 1427 (‘a faithful nation, most worthy
January - February of friendship and renown!’) and the
Roman writer Tacitus, who put words
Please email art@flatgallery.co.uk
before buying online as we are offering into the mouth of the Caledonian leader
free delivery to local regions. Calgacus at the Battle of Mons Graupius
www.flatcatgallery.co.uk (‘Act now, unconquered Scotland!
2 Market Place, Lauder, Berwickshire Minding your fathers and your
TD2 6SR 01578 722 808
heirs!).
22 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 23PUBLIC ART
Alison Kinnard MBE, Psalmsong, glass,
light & sound installation, 2003
Both a glass artist and an accomplished
harpist, Kinnaird created the work as a
SPECIALIST
visual expression of the emotion contained
SHIPPERS in her composition for Scottish harps,
OF FINE ART “Psalmsong”, which was inspired by Gaelic
& ANTIQUES psalms.
Images of the human figure in
• Fragile, large or awkward various poses have been engraved onto
– wherever in the world
it needs to go overlapping glass panels of dichroic (tinted)
• Affordable, customised
crates that deliver art
glass and illuminated using fibre optic
works safely lighting. The interlacing patterns are based
• International & UK
delivery services on sound waves produced by playing the
• Cover against loss notes of Scottish harps into a computer at
or damage
Edinburgh University’s Physics Department.
0131 201 2244 The glass and light installation is
53 Elm Row, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH7 4AH
accompanied by a recording of the
www.packsend.co.uk/edinburgheast
“Psalmsong” music performed by the artist
on Highland and Lowland harps, cello and
the glass itself.
GALLERY 2 Alison Watt, Flexion, oil on canvas,
2003
One of a series of paintings exhibited at
Edinburgh’s Ingleby Gallery during the
2004 Edinburgh International Festival,
ONLINE MIXED EXHIBITION this seemingly abstract exploration
21 Dec - 1 2 Feb of form relates to Watt’s earlier work
– suggestive, sensual paintings of the
Open by appointment human body with traces of it left on
Stanley Bird fabric and drapery.
Watt has acknowledged the work
Contemporary art by established
of the 19th century French painter
and emerging Scottish artists.
Large variety of landscape and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres as an
wildlife art - ranging from inspiration, in particular his handling of
representational to the drapery which surrounds the female
Winter Exhibition impressionistic - and a good form in many of his paintings.
Online selection of Perthshire scenes. The title of the work is defined as
‘the act of bending a limb’ and ‘deviation
FREE UK DELIVERY
Dan McShane Cloud Scape I
Offering a complete range of mouldings,
original art, limited editions and unique from a normal or straight course’.
gifts. Plus contract picture framing for
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aberfeldygallery.co.uk
9 Kenmore Street, Aberfeldy, PH1 5 2BL
72 John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock 07821 1 0301 1
01563 550 303 Gallery2Kilmarnock Clockwise from left: Deborah Phillips, Sonas Maclean, hello@aberfeldygallery.co.uk
www.gallery2kilmarnock.co.uk Lindsay Turk
24 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 25ART BOOKS
Coveted: Art and Innovation in High
Loch Moon Sheila Anderson Hardy
Jewelry*, by Melanie Grant, pub.
Phaidon Quoting Elizabeth Taylor
(“Jewelry* has the power to be this
one little thing that can make you feel
unique”), this first in-depth survey of ‘high’
jewellery as an art form celebrates the
most innovative and extravagant objects
by the world’s leading designers such
as Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef &
Arpels and others. Beautifully illustrated
with never before seen imagery, the book
explores the inspirations, materials and
techniques which have elevated jewellery
from decorative objects to works of art.
Ebb & Flow Stephen Whitehorne
*American spelling
HEAVENLY BLUES
for WINTER BLUES Craftland Japan, by Uwe Röttgen &
Katharina Zetti, pub. Thames & Hudson
Visit our online gallery shop Regions of Japan are renowned for specific
traditions, many of which are born of
local materials and the natural settings in
51 High Street, Coldstream TD12 4DL. 01890 254 010 or 07980 402 755 which they are produced. The authors set
www.whitefoxgallery.co.uk info@whitefoxgallery.co.uk
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm. Wed by appointment.
out across the country to find the finest
examples of crafts, document the most
ingenious contemporary makers, their
remote workshops and the landscapes
dockside which surround them. The result is a
photographic voyage into the heart of
Japanese culture, portraying 25 artisans
G A L L E R Y
who work with natural materials to produce
objects which are intended for everyday life,
but are worthy of museum display.
Wildflowers for the Queen, by Hugo
Rittson Thomas, pub. Wildflower Press
To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the
Coronation, HRH The Prince of Wales
Evening sunlight on sandyhills
called for the creation of new wildflower
Seascape and Landscape Paintings by meadows. The resulting Coronation
Angela Lawrence
Meadows project is working to achieve this
goal and the fine art photographer Hugo
Rittson Thomas has captured its results,
Clience Studio
documenting meadows across Britain with
By the Clocktower
images of wildflower species which draw on
212 King Street
Highlands, Islands, Galloway and Cumbria feature at this artist’s Castle Douglas DG7 1DS
landscape, floral study and even abstract art,
studio and gallery. 07902 301 883 from the colourful cowslip and the eccentric
Angela works in a variety of sizes and also presents a wide selection www.cliencestudio.co.uk snake’s-head fritillary to the multifaceted
of signed archival prints as well as art gifts and calendars from her angelalawrencecliencestudio ragged robin and the elusive bee orchid.
Galloway paintings.
Paintings, Prints and Commissions. Mon-Sat 10.30-5, Tues 10.30-4 Currently available online only
26 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 27ART BOOKS
Philip Hughes: Painting the Ancient
Quality HIGH ST. GALLERY Land of Australia, pub. Thames &
Hudson Through work created over three
decades, Hughes’s love letter to Australia
Pre-read A RT & A N T I QU E S takes the reader on a journey through
some of the world’s most spectacular
Art Books geological formations. His bold, graphic
style complemented by expressive blocks
of colour seems particularly suited to
IN NEARLY NEW depicting the Australian landscape, from
CONDITION broad, rolling plains to vast, imposing
land forms. Often informed by maps and
aerial photographs, Hughes’s paintings also
Ephemera Police Close Richard Ross
Primroses And Leaves Richard Ross
highlight the impact of human intervention
on the land as well as the effects of bush
fires.
Thames Mudlarking: Searching For
London’s Lost Treasures, by Jason Sandy
& Nick Stevens, pub. Shire Publications
High St. Gallery 84 High Street Kirkcudbright Illustrated with 160 photographs of the
DG6 4JL 07807 235 196 intriguing objects discovered by over 50
www.highstgallery.co.uk contact@highstgallery.co.uk
‘mudlarks’, this fascinating little book tells
the story of London and its inhabitants
CURRENTLY VIEW ONLINE ONLY through the extraordinary assortment of
artefacts discovered at low tide along the
banks of the River Thames – in effect, the
longest archaeological site in Britain. The
uncovered treasures range from megalodon
teeth, Celtic coins and Roman jewellery to
Georgian shoe buckles, Venetian glass beads
and shrapnel from the Blitz.
The Design Book, pub. Phaidon This
illustrated guide to how design has shaped
society over the last 500 years shows how
objects we now take for granted were once
Artist bios, rare exhibition innovative and even revolutionary, from
catalogues, illustrated the paper clip, zip fastener or folding deck
chair to the ring-pull can, vegetable peeler
histories of top art or anglepoise lamp. With the addition of 30
movements – and more! products designed over the last 15 years,
this new edition shows how designers like
COME IN AND BROWSE OUR Breuer, Le Corbusier, Rietveld and Castiglioni
EVER-CHANGING STOCK have combined style and function to give us
items which have enriched everyday life.
Citadel Books, 41 Montrose
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5DJ
28 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 29THOUGHT PIECE ARTSPEAK
Huh?
Talk about giving art a bad name.
Art for
Bryan Angus Norwegian January
(Names withheld to protect the guilty.)
art’s sake The stretched canvas is covered with a
perfect skin of paint: a tessallation of
(The artist’s) practice
aims to extract some of the
hidden humour and wisdom
Contesting the document
as a stable form, (the
artist) focuses on the
F
rom primitive, Paleolithic cave chromatic greys humming gently like embodied in our abundant extra-informational
paintings to dazzling, computer- low noises that the ear finds difficult to visual & physical landscape. qualities: corrupted
generated imagery, art has formed map. They disturb the pictorial space translations, cumulative
the core of human expression for tens even as they begin to set it up. error, abstractions,
of thousands of years. Art nourishes the and transformations
soul. It is a window to the wider world, produced within situated
depicting and defining reality beyond our
A string of activities are undertaken (The artist’s) research is geared environments.
own cultural boundaries.
in a ritual test of the terms of (the towards the activation of a
This universal language is a continual
artist’s) relationship to various process in which cultural
source of inspiration, challenging us to
ONLINE WINTER EXHIBITION contemplate different perspectives on aspects of her subjective self. superstructures are removed
life. A work of art can powerfully present and the filters of a subjective
until March 27 perceptions of ‘truth’ inexpressible in any vision are limited, with the aim (The artist’s) work
Art advice, selection and delivery service other way. For example, Andy Warhol’s Recent work explores notions of of identifying the possibilities challenges the assumed
depictions of Campbell’s soup cans or artifice, camp and horror through and beauties that the concrete naturalism of latent or
24 Thistle Street, Aberdeen AB10 1XD 01224 625629
portraits of Marilyn, Elvis and Liza are examples of Art Nouveau design. plane of reality already offers. invisible structures.
info@galleryheinzel.com www.galleryheinzel.com
a revealing commentary on American
society.
Mixed online exhibition with featured artist:
Jonathan Hood 23 Jan - 20 Feb
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Our appreciation of art is often a • Optional ‘Express’ service available – your
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and a viewer, although one woman once Try the system and create your own website
took this ‘relationship’ too far. French artist completely free for 30 days with no obligation.
Sam Rindy was apparently so overcome
by passion for a valuable painting that We’re proud to be the choice of artists and
she kissed it, smudging the immaculate, galleries throughout Scotland
white canvas by Cy Twombly (valued
at $2 million) with red lipstick. Arrested I have been loving doing the website – it’s fabulously Learn more on our website at
for criminal damage, Rindy proudly straightforward once you get started. Thanks for your
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this moment, to the power of art.” - Vivien
www.galleryq.co.uk Queen’s Hotel Buildings, 160 Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4DU 01382 220600 www.gordonwilsonart.co.uk or call on 0117 920 0025
Devlin
30 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 31PHOTO-SPREAD PHOTO-SPREAD
In his 1971 song “Take me
Home, Country Roads”, John
Denver called West Virgina
“almost heaven”. Later, the state
adopted the description as
its slogan. Here is a whimsical
selection of images from a road
trip through that beautiful part
of the United States.
32 | 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 5 February 2021 | Issue 149 | 33You can also read
