Introducing The Story of Scottish Art
"An exhilarating, big-picture, and often surprising account of Scottish art" Andrew Marr
"Even more of a joy than the glorious Scottish art it celebrates … A feast for the mind’s eye" Simon Schama
The Story of Scottish Art is a page-turning narrative full of scandals and rebellions, seismic historical events and personal tragedies that inspired or destroyed artists. It is the epic story of how 5000 years of creativity defined a nation – from the earliest Neolithic symbols etched onto the landscape of Kilmartin Glen to Glasgow’s fame as a contemporary centre of artistic innovation.
Artist and broadcaster Lachlan Goudie brings these stories to life, offering his perspective as a contemporary Scottish painter with a deep personal connection to Scotland’s artistic heritage. He passionately narrates the triumphs and struggles of artists across the millennia. He reveals how successive generations of craftspeople, painters and sculptors recorded and influenced the events that have transformed Scottish society.
Goudie’s compelling text is beautifully illustrated with diverse artworks from both famous and less well-known artists, including sculpture, photography and architecture alongside a strong tradition of Scottish painting. The illustrations showcase the extraordinary artworks that make up Scotland’s proud and distinct tradition of creativity: Pictish cross slabs and Celtic metalwork; Renaissance palaces and chapels; the portraits of Allan Ramsay, Henry Raeburn and the Romantic landscapes of Horatio McCulloch; depictions of Scottish life across the centuries by David Wilkie, the Glasgow Boys and Joan Eardley; the innovations of architectural genius Charles Rennie Mackintosh and sculpture and collage by Pop Art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi.
In this engaging and personal account, Lachlan Goudie tells the story of how and why such masterpieces were created and their impact not just on Scotland but upon the world.
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