THE story of Scottish art and its impact internationally is to be examined in a four-part documentary fronted by acclaimed Glasgow artist Lachlan Goudie.
The four-parter which covers 5000 years, from the earliest Neolithic art to the present day is described by the BBC as "the most ambitious television series about Scottish art in recent times".
Seen through the eyes of an artist, the programmes are to explore developments and innovations in art across the centuries, placing Scottish art in a world context, and at the same time telling a the story of Scotland’s social and political history.
Mr Goudie has has worked closely with the production teams on the writing of The Story of Scottish Art, which is due to be aired on BBC Two Scotland in early October.
He said: “Scotland’s artistic heritage is rich and complex. People often know about the ‘Scottish Colourists’ but when you look beyond this small group of painters, you realise that for 5000 years, generations of artists from Scotland have been creating and innovating with extraordinary bravery.
"They’ve consistently pushed at the boundaries of what art can do and questioned what it actually means to be a ‘Scottish' artist.
“As a painter myself I feel a real urge to understand the motivations and the challenges that have confronted artists from Scotland throughout the centuries. How they’ve helped define their own culture whilst being informed and inspired by the most revolutionary international art movements of the day."
Throughout the series, he will be seen painting and sketching as he travels widely in Scotland, as well in France and Italy.
In the first programme, Lachlan’s journey into the Neolithic world takes him to Orkney, to the Ring of Brodgar, where standing stones have watched the seasons pass for thousands of years. On the island of Westray he meets an ancient figurine – the Westray Wife – the oldest sculpted human figure in the British Isles
In the second programme Lachlan he tells of how the intellectual revolution of the Enlightenment and the classical influence of the continent gave a new generation of Scottish artists the confidence and the inspiration to forge a dazzling artistic landscape.
In the third, Lachlan explores art at the turn of the 19th Century when Scotland’s artists vigorously challenged the traditions they had inherited.
And in the final programme Lachlan looks at Scottish art in the 20th and 21st century beginning begins with William McCance who attempted to bring about a Scottish Renaissance in the visual arts.
Donalda Mackinnon, head of programmes and services at BBC Scotland, says “This is a major new series celebrating Scottish art, the latest in a range of BBC output, reflecting Scottish culture and heritage, past and present.”
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