Elizabeth Cumming - Böcker

Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935) was the eldest of the four artists popularly known as "The Scottish Colourists." Born in Edinburgh, he was drawn to France and returned to paint there frequently, moving in 1910 to Paris, where he moved in artistic avant-garde circles. His painting style gave way to a more contemporary and expressive approach, and he used rich colors applied with more structured brushstrokes. In 1912 Peploe returned to Edinburgh and slowly began to build a successful career as an exhibiting artist. From around 1914 until his death, he sought to paint the perfect still life. A modest selection of props, including roses or tulips, fans, books, fruits, and Chinese vases, were carefully placed in infinite varieties on patterned drapery. In 1929 he explained: "There is so much in mere objects, flowers, leaves, jugs, what not—colors, forms, relation—I can never see mystery coming to an end." This beautifully illustrated book accompanies a major exhibition devoted to the artist in his home town of Edinburgh, and throws fascinating new light on Peploe's life, on the influence of France on his work, and on his posthumous reputation.Published in association with The National Galleries of ScotlandExhibition Schedule:Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh(11/03/12-06/23/13)

This four-volume collection of primary sources examines art in Scotland during the nineteenth century. During the nineteenth century, Scotland developed as a powerful industrial nation, eventually leading the world in areas such as textiles, shipbuilding and iron and steel production. As a result, a new generation of businessmen began to take an interest in buying art, as a symbol of their new-found wealth and status. The same period saw the establishment of art institutes and artists’ societies in major centres such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, providing artists not only with opportunities to exhibit their work, but also to see the work of European artists. This period saw the transformation of Scottish art from a period when visual culture was dominated by a retrogressive, romanticised image of the nation, to the modern era, when Scotland’s artists travelled abroad and embraced the latest avant-garde ideas, eventually enjoying an international reputation. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, this collection will be of great interest to students of Art History and Scottish History.

This volume focuses on artists and writers associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, Scottish Symbolism and the Celtic Revival. The latter was spearheaded by the biologist and social reformer Patrick Geddes, who encouraged artistic revival in Edinburgh. In 1884 he founded the Edinburgh Social Union which commissioned mural schemes for public buildings from artists such as Phoebe Anna Traquair. Geddes also invited contributions from contemporary artists through his avant-garde journal The Evergreen, whose art editor was John Duncan. During the same period Glasgow flourished as an artistic centre under the leadership of Fra Newbery at Glasgow School of Art. This period saw the rise in importance of the decorative arts and the emergence of a number of women designers, among them Jessie Keppie, Annie French and Ann Macbeth. The leading artists at the turn of the century were Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Herbert McNair and the Macdonald sisters, who enjoyed an international reputation, exhibiting at the Vienna Secession in 1900. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, this collection will be of great interest to students of Art History and Scottish History.

J. D. Fergusson (1874-1961) is one of the four artists known as the Scottish Colourists, the others being F. C. B. Cadell, G. L. Hunter and S. J. Peploe. Fergusson was born in Leith, and was essentially a self-taught artist. In Paris 1907 he became involved with the avant-garde scene and exhibited at the progressive Salon d'Automne. More than any of his Scottish contemporaries, Fergusson assimilated and developed the latest developments in French painting. In 1913 Fergusson met the dance pioneer Margaret Morris (1891-1980). Morris's creative dance movements and her students continued to be one of Fergusson's main sources of inspiration and models. In 1929 Fergusson returned to Paris where he was involved with the Anglo-American art circles. Most summers were spent in the south of France where Morris held her celebrated Summer Schools. The couple moved to Glasgow in 1939 being founder members of the New Art Club and of its off-shoot the New Scottish Group. This book reasserts the artist's place at the forefront of British modernism.