Scotland has seven cities & including these, fifty-one localities with a population of over fifteen thousand. Naturally, there are more townscapes from Scotland depicting more built-up areas such as the cities, particularly the capital Edinburgh & largest city Glasgow. But there are all kinds of settlements, including very small, rural areas. Sometimes these become a key part of the landscape, despite having residential features & the world of art portrays this too.
In 2019, the lowest birth rate since 1855 was recorded in Scotland, whilst immigration to Scotland especially from other European countries & including those studying here has increased. So year on year we see constant construction taking place in our towns & cities as more flats & houses continue to be built & the population’s changing needs evolve. Whether or not many of these newer builds will inspire the townscape art of the future remains to be seen…
View From the Mound, Edinburgh, Looking West (c. 1929), William Crozier (1893-1930)
What I like about Crozier’s painting is his depiction of the clear development of the built-up area around what the landscape offers. Edinburgh Castle sits atop the enormous Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano which rose up around 350 million years ago. Crozier effectively records the pre-history of the area whilst capturing the ingenuity of people from as early as the Iron Age to inhabit the area & later build the fortress castle & a capital city on & nearby such unforgiving terrain. Walking the streets & hills of central Edinburgh, you are constantly reminded of the past & the geology you are navigating.
Catterline in Winter (1963), Joan Eardley (1921-1963)
From the capital to a village, there is nevertheless evidence of Bronze Age activity in Catterline. Often focusing on the coastal aspects & seascapes, here Eardley walks us up the rough road towards the tiny settlement. The scene will be familiar to anyone living in NE Scotland in the winter – the slate sky sparely lit by the weak yellow moon & the isolation that heavy snowfall can bring to rural communities.
Windows In the West (1993), Avril Paton (1941-)
This is a well-known & much-used image in Scotland. Partly, I think because if you’ve ever taken a wander through Glasgow, it’s a very familiar site. As well as the style of the tenement, the pinky sky is typical of a Scottish sky after a snowstorm. The building material is also recognisable - Glasgow is to sandstone what Aberdeen is to granite. This appears to be what’s called blonde sandstone but much of Glasgow is made with red sandstone. In any case, the windows reveal much human activity behind them & we feel a voyeuristic connection as we watch the figures go about their business, knowing that they could just as easily see us.
Kelvingrove Park (2000), Alexander Goudie (1933-2004)
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum is red sandstone however, although you can’t tell that from this image. Scotland is great at creating very grand buildings & housing objects in them. Every city & many towns have museums & galleries & where would we be without them? In this piece (which I fortunately got to see recently before it disappears into a private collection), we view the looming building from below; we’re surrounded by brush & bushes. It’s a very unusual aspect but it gives a sense of the enormity & grandeur of the building beyond. It’s as if we’re approaching greatness ahead of us & it creates a tension through this suspense.
The Sensation of Crossing the Street – West End, Edinburgh (1913), Stanley Cursiter (1887-1976)
It could be any busy city & is perhaps not strictly a townscape but this work still effectively relays the sense of movement, stress & rush found in many an urban setting. Crossing the road is still much like this, even with the many traffic-calming measures now included in all Scottish towns & cities.
George Square & Charlotte Square From My Studio (1909), Francis Cadell (1883-1937)
I confess, I’m not saying this is the most remarkable Scottish townscape ever painted, despite Cadell’s genius, but I am desperate to share its story. It’s best told here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-31000264
It does make one wonder what Denis Peploe - a wonderful artist himself – was thinking…
Stobo Kirk (1939), James McIntosh Patrick (1907-1998)
This is one of several paintings of Stobo Kirk created by Patrick but I like this because of the muted colours, vertical composition & realistically threatening sky. Although it appears remote, there is a small settlement nearby (situated near Peebles, several miles from Edinburgh) & there has been a church here since the 6th Century. Kirks like these often form a focus for small communities, particularly in the past.
Design for Scotland Street School (1906), Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928)
Today, Scotland Street School is a museum but following its opening, the children of primarily shipbuilding & engineering workers attended. As a school, it closed in 1979 & was CRM’s final significant commission in Glasgow.
New Aberdeen (c. 1807), Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840)
One of a commissioned pair (the other predictably called Old Aberdeen), Nasmyth based the works on watercolours by Aberdeen artist Robert Seaton. It clearly shows how a town like ours was (& to an extent still is) simultaneously dependant on & constrained by its nearby rivers.
Inverness from across the River Ness - Sketch & watercolour (1833), Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)
I just find it bizarre that Turner ever painted Inverness, but here’s the proof. This view shows the west bank of the River Ness towards Ness Bridge. This bridge was destroyed by flooding in 1849. Also included are the Tollbooth & Old High Kirk.
The Old Town, Edinburgh (Crescent Moon) (2019?), Clive Ramage (?)
Despite the naivety of style & colour, the composition of Ramage’s Edinburgh is really not that far off. As we’ve seen, because of the basic structure of the city (volcano, geology, etc), in certain locations & from certain positions, Edinburgh does have this layering effect & a distinct feeling of upward movement in a visual sense.
Around the Twist (2017), John Glynn (1964-)
Inspired by the area around Whitehills harbour in NE Scotland, I do love this clever composition - it lends this townscape a universal quality. In all harbour areas, regardless of town, country or continent, you’re bound to find cats – this is also true of John Glynn’s works. There is always a cat & you have to find him.
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