Scottish Art, 1460-1990

Scottish painting, neglected by American art-lovers, is handsomely showcased in this robust narrative history studded with masterpieces. Containing 350 plates, most in color, the book argues for the distinct identity of Scottish art and establishes the two-way flow of artistic influence between Europe and Scotland. Macmillan, an art historian and curator at Edinburgh University, accentuates the originality and vibrancy of Scottish art from medieval royal miniatures of James IV's court to John Bellany's (b. 1942) angst-ridden mythscapes influenced by Francis Bacon. He shows why William McTaggart, whose proto-impressionist landscapes describe experience as a continuum or flux, is increasingly regarded as a great painter. From Reformation iconoclasm through romantic landscape, Victorian high drama and a new generation's explosive experimentation, Scottish artists have made major statements. The evidence here includes Anne Redpath's coloristic studies, William Dyce's mystical landscapes and William Johnstone's abstract attempts to capture the dance of time. (Apr.)