Visual Art
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‘THEY BUCKED THE TREND IN SCOTTISH ART AT THE TIME’ Hitlist THE BEST EXHIBITIONS *
James Guthrie, ‘A Highland Funeral’
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Lasting impressions As a major exhibition of work by the Glasgow Boys takes centre stage at Kelvingrove, Liz Shannon assesses their contemporary impact and legacy
After 40 years, the Glasgow Boys are finally to be the subject of a major exhibition in the Dear Green Place. But don’t let the group’s name mislead you. ‘The Glasgow Boys didn’t all attend Glasgow School of Art – some weren’t even Scottish – but they did all have studios in the city,’ says co-curator Jean Walsh. ‘They painted outdoors at various places in Scotland during the summer and returned to Glasgow in the winter. There was great friendship, and a regular exchange of ideas.’
This potential blockbuster contains 140 works by painters such as James Guthrie, George Henry and Edward Atkinson Hornel, as well as work by Bessie McNicol, the only female artist associated with the group. The exhibition includes old favourites from Scottish collections alongside lesser-known pictures borrowed from private collectors and major international institutions: the selection is so vast that Kelvingrove’s temporary exhibition space has had to be extended to include all the works.
While some of the Glasgow Boys’ paintings may now appear tame and bucolic, their work had a huge contemporary impact. ‘They bucked the trend in Scottish art at the time,’ says Walsh, ‘which involved archetypes such as stags or Highland landscapes depicted in fine detail. The Glasgow Boys focused on more naturalistic subject matter, such as agricultural workers in the Lowlands. Their style was based upon the work of French painter Jules Bastien-Lepage, who used broad, square brushstrokes.’ But realist rural scenes were not all the Glasgow Boys produced. ‘Their later works were often
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symbolist in style,’ says Walsh. ‘They used gold paint, prefiguring Klimt, and anticipated Charles Rennie Mackintosh through the use of single female figures and a love of pattern. Henry and Hornel’s “The Druids – Bringing in the Mistletoe” was exhibited in Munich and took the art world by storm.’
Despite this eventual international recognition, the Glasgow Boys initially encountered resistance from London and Edinburgh’s Royal Academies of Art, but were supported by Glasgow’s lively art market, as Walsh explains. ‘Many commercial people had their roots in rural communities, and so the subject matter appealed to them, as well as the nostalgia factor.’ However, the group was not entirely beholden to Scottish subject matter, as the exhibition will demonstrate. ‘Burrell helped pay for Henry and Hornel to go to Japan,’ says Walsh, ‘while Arthur Melville spent some time in Spain. They were quite well travelled.’
Although they fell out of fashion in the 1950s and 60s, the Glasgow Boys attracted a new audience in the following decades. This new exhibition will highlight the group’s significance, particularly in relation to the international success of subsequent generations of Scottish art. ‘The Boys’ international reputation made it much easier for Mackintosh and other Scottish artists to launch their work in Europe. In that sense, the Glasgow Boys blazed a trail.’
Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880–1900, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Fri 9 Apr–Mon 27 Sep.
✽✽ Victoria Morton Fascinating celebration and critique of the everyday mess we live, work and play in. See review, page 89. Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, until Sun 2 May. ✽✽ Artists Rooms: Joseph Beuys Selection of important drawings from the German artist who had strong links to Scotland. Reviewed next issue. Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, until Mon 27 Sep. ✽✽ Martin Soto Climent Sculptures created using everyday found objects by the Mexican artist. Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Fri 2 Apr. ✽✽ Martin Creed: Things Witty, playful exhibition of work by the former Turner Prize winner. The Common Guild, Glasgow, until Sat 3 Apr. ✽✽ Alex Frost: The Connoisseurs Multi-faceted collection of classical trash from the Scottish artist. See review, page 89. Dundee Contemporary Arts, until Sun 23 May. ✽✽ Artists Rooms: Diane Arbus Compelling collection of black and white prints by the photographer who was repeatedly drawn to the fringes of society. See review, page 61. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 13 Jun. ✽✽ Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880–1900 The influential late-19th century school of painters form the basis of this major exhibition. See preview, left. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Fri 9 Apr–Mon 27 Sep. ✽✽ Air Lomlaid The Fruitmarket’s 18-month education project conducted in the Gaelic medium involving pupils from Edinburgh and Skye draws to a close with this exhibition of work. Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 10 Apr–Sun 9 May.