November 22nd 2024.
William Gillies had a deep fondness for Scotland. As one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he often embarked on journeys across our beautiful nation, capturing its essence through his sketches and paintings. It is only fitting that his latest exhibition will now travel around the mainland and Scottish islands, giving audiences a fresh perspective on one of Scotland's most significant painters.
For Sandy Wood, the head of collections at the Royal Scottish Academy, this is a great privilege. As custodians of the Gillies Bequest, they are thrilled to take a new narrative about Gillies' life and art to different parts of Scotland through the touring exhibition, "William Gillies: Modernism and Nation."
According to Sandy, Gillies' unique style as a modernist painter, who used modernism as a means to cope with the hardships and loss in his life, was often overshadowed. But with this exhibition and the accompanying book, his best modern works in landscape, still life, and portraiture will be brought to light.
Born in Haddington in 1898, Gillies studied at the Edinburgh College of Art and also served in the First World War. In his lifetime, he is estimated to have painted over 2,000 works. Though he primarily focused on landscapes and still life, his pieces often featured the Lothians, Fife, and the Borders.
Many of his paintings also included ceramics made by his younger sister, Emma Smith Gillies, who tragically passed away at the young age of 36 in 1936. Gillies himself was a student at the Edinburgh College of Art when he was called to serve in WW1. After completing his studies, he returned to teaching and continued to do so for the next four decades. In 1959, he became the Principal of the Edinburgh College of Art until his retirement in 1966. He passed away in 1973 at his cottage in Temple, Midlothian.
The exhibition will kick off at Perth Art Gallery, showcasing over 90 of Gillies' works, including photographs, archival material, and his important self-portrait borrowed from the National Galleries of Scotland. Visitors will also get to see the ceramics made by his sister, thanks to a loan from Edinburgh University.
Amy Fairley, the art officer with Culture Perth & Kinross, has been working closely with Sandy Wood on this exhibition. She admits to having some knowledge about Gillies' work but was surprised to discover his experimental side, where he dabbled in abstraction.
She hopes that visitors will leave the exhibition with a better understanding of Gillies' role in Scottish art and his influence on later generations of artists. She adds that his love for Scotland is evident in his landscapes and that his work is relatable, making it appealing to a wide audience. She believes that visitors will connect with his timeless pieces that celebrate the ordinary objects found in our homes.
"William Gillies: Modernism and Nation" will be on display at Perth Art Gallery until March 2, 2025. For more news stories and to read the latest issue of Scottish Field, click here.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
