Modern Scots in Perth

I enjoyed helping to select the Modern Scots collection display which is now open at Perth Art Gallery. It covers 100 years of Scottish creativity, including Scottish artists’ engagement with European modernism. Read on to find out about some of my favourite works by Modern Scots in Perth.

La vie distraite by William Crosbie (1915-99)

William Crosbie studied at Glasgow School of Art, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and under Fernand Léger (1881-1955) in the French capital. After a period working in Egypt, Crosbie returned to Glasgow in 1939 and shortly afterwards painted La vie distraite (‘Distracted Life’). Realised on a monumental scale – 180 x 150cm – it is extraordinarily advanced for Scottish art of the period. It teems with an eclectic mix of often Surrealist elements, from disembodied limbs to a carpenter’s square and a barrage balloon or airship. It has been interpreted as a comment on contemporary politics. La vie distraite was purchased by Culture Perth & Kinross in 1990, with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions and the Art Fund.

Still Life Black Table by William Gillies (1898-1973)

2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of William Gillies, as well as the 50th anniversary of his death. It is therefore timely that his Still Life Black Table of 1960 is included in the Modern Scots display. Gillies spent much of his life at Edinburgh College of Art, as a student and as a member of staff; he became its Principal in the year in which he painted this dramatic table-top assemblage. Gillies manipulates the presentation of space and perspective by simultaneously presenting the still life elements in parallel with the surface of his canvas, whilst positioning the table within a three-dimensional room. The majority of the image is black, which accentuates the silhouettes and colouring of his props. The painting was purchased by Culture Perth & Kinross from the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition of 1960. Gillies is to be celebrated in a touring exhibition organised by the Academy and in a forthcoming publication by Andrew McPherson.

Ubeda, Spain by Anne Redpath (1895-1965)

Anne Redpath trained at Edinburgh College of Art and Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh. She lived in France between 1920 and 1934 before becoming the doyenne of post-World War Two Scottish painting. Travel provided a vital stimulus to her work and in 1951 she visited Spain, touring the Costa Brava, Valencia, Ubeda, Granada, Toledo and Madrid. Whilst there, Redpath worked in oil and watercolour and the richness of the subject matter she came across inspired her for years, as seen in Ubeda, Spain of 1959. The buildings of the Andalucian town are depicted huddled together under a sombre sky. They are realised with a density of form and layering of paint through which bright streaks of blue, red and yellow gleam. The eye is led to the towers reaching above the sky line, the whole suffused with a low-toned light. Ubeda, Spain was bought from the Artist by Culture Perth & Kinross in 1960, the year after it was painted.

Reverie by Cecile Walton (1891-1956)

Cecile Walton is at the centre of a veritable web of Scottish artists: her father Edward Arthur Walton was one of the Glasgow Boys, whilst she, her first husband Eric Robertson and her life-long friend Dorothy Johnstone, were members of the Edinburgh Group. Walton trained at the Atelier la Grande Chaumière and Académie de la Palette, both in Paris, as well as at Edinburgh College of Art. Believed to be a self-portrait, Walton painted Reverie the year after the birth of her second son, Edward. The central figure gazes at herself in a mirror, whilst being watched by mysterious figures. The inclusion of what may be a baby’s cradle suggests a questioning of Walton’s identity, not least her sense of self and role as a mother. The painting was purchased by Culture Perth & Kinross in 1993 with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions.

I hope the above selection of Modern Scots in Perth inspires you to visit the display. You can also see Culture Perth & Kinross’s whole collection here. Redpath and Walton feature in the exhibition Scottish Women Artists: 250 Years of Challenging Perception at Dovecot in Edinburgh until 6 January 2024. If you’d like to find out more about William Gillies, you might enjoy The Joy of Yellow.