Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Updating the last attempt at this subject, Stanley Curister's Scottish Art to the Close of the Nineteenth Century (London, 1949), this conventional historical survey brings the story of Scotland's art and artists into a new, stronger scholarly light. The author's real skill, however, is in his adoption of more modern methodologies in the exploration of a national art history. Scotland's artists have always been obscured by an emphasis placed on doings south of the border. This survey manages to provide the reader with rich examples of Scottish tradition and identity through art. Painting is covered most extensively, and while the other media seem to take a back seat, Macmillan's attention to historical context renders any quibbles minor. An important acquisition for academic and research libraries.-- Paula A. Baxter, NYPL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Macmillan, curator of the Talbot Rice Gallery at Edinburgh University, has written extensively in the area of Scottish art. Not since Stanley Cursiter's Scottish Art to the Close of the Nineteenth Century, published in 1949, has an attempt been made to cover the subject in such a comprehensive manner, which in this volume brings the reader up to the 1990s. Rather than provide a superficial treatment of the work of many artists, the author has chosen a selected number of artists from the reign of James III in the 15th century to the present, combining a chronological approach with one that addresses genre. The 350 illustrations (most are in color) are of exceptional quality. Extensive footnotes and an adequate bibliography assist the student as well as the general reader.-E. M. Hansen, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art