The Story of Scottish Art

Book excerpt: A landmark publication celebrating over 5,000 years of creativity, The Story of Scottish Art explores Scotland’s cultural identity and artistic output through the ages. This is the fascinating story of how Scotland has defined itself through its art over the past 5,000 years, from the earliest enigmatic Neolithic symbols etched onto the landscape of Kilmartin Glen to Glasgow’s position as a center of artistic innovation today. BBC TV broadcaster and artist Lachlan Goudie passionately narrates the joys and struggles of artists striving to fulfill their vision and the dramatic transformations of Scottish society reflected in their art. The Story of Scottish Art is beautifully illustrated with diverse works from Scotland’s long tradition of bold creativity: Pictish carved stones and Celtic metalwork, Renaissance palaces and chapels, paintings of Scottish life and landscapes by Horatio McCulloch, David Wilkie, the Glasgow Boys, and Joan Eardley; designs by master architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh; and collage and sculpture by pop art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi. Through Scotland’s remarkable artistic history, Goudie tells the story of a small country with an extraordinary creative output that influenced significant global movements, such as art nouveau and pop art, while constantly redefining its own practices.