Description
A well-illustrated compendium, from prehistory through the 20th century, tracing the themes and ideas that Scottish artists have continually returned to, forming an overarching culture that is studded with distinct and colorful personalities. It's a vivid history, though the edition's small type, particularly in the faint sans-serif captions, is hard on older eyes. Macdonald, a painter, teaches the history of Scottish art at the U. of Dundee. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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What are the threads that bind Scottish Art into a single tradition? Certain stylistic features, such as the heritage of Celtic design with its emphasis on intricate pattern, recur throughout the centuries, most clearly, perhaps, in Mackintosh's Art Nouveau. At a deeper level, Scottish artists have continually returned to certain themes and ideas, or aspects of landscape and history: the presence of the sea and the rocky Scottish coastline, the hardships of the people, incidents from their history, and portraits of those who have formed Scottish culture. A close connection with France has also been surprisingly persistent, from medieval times to the present. All these factors have formed the character of Scottish art, but at the same time it is rich in distinctive personalities and individual genius. Professor Murdo Macdonald brings these men and women vividly to life without losing sight of the wider panorama. His book is particularly opportune at a time when the issue and nature of Scottish identity have come to the foreground.
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