THE randomness of death and the horrors of war will be among the themes explored in a new book by a leading Scottish painter on the inspirations for one of his most ambitious exhibitions.
Tom McKendrick will look back on the stories behind his paintings Blitz, which were devoted to the bombings of Clydebank during the Second World War.
He is planning to publish around 4000 copies of the book just ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Luftwaffe raids on the town on the nights of 13 and 14 March 1941.
The artist Tom McKendrick pictured in his studio in Clydebank. Photograph by Colin Mearns
McKendrick, who was born in the Scottish town seven years later, will also reflect on the parallels experienced by his townsfolk and the suffering of people in Syria today.
“The book reflects in a general way what happened in Clydebank and what is happening in Syria today,” he said.
“The poor folk of Clydebank were collateral damage. There is something about the randomness of their deaths and the deaths of people in the war in Syria which struck me and continues to affect me.
“In both cases no one knew where and when the bombs would fall. They were random and terrifying and lives were utterly destroyed.
“Today the weapons and bombs may have got more sophisticated technologically, but war, where ever it is, whether Clydebank or Syria or elsewhere, destroys in the same way."
The 67-year-old received critical acclaim for Blitz, which was first exhibited at the Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie in 1985.
He said growing up the town amid the ruins and hearing stories, including from his mother Rachel about the raids, were the key inspirations for the works.
Terraces, Sheets, Window and Map are among some of the dramatic and disturbing mixed media canvases.
The first depicts the burning town through the eyes of McKendrick’s mother Rachel, a 17-year-old auxiliary nurse at the time, who ran home from work when she saw her town being bombed.
Two of McKendrick’s paintings from Blitz were recently on show at the Lillie Art Gallery as part of its exhibition Abstracted.
Peter McCormack, museums development officer for East Dunbartonshire Council, which runs the Lillie Art Gallery, said Red Night Image was “full of threat and fire and violence”.
“At first the viewer isn’t sure what the painting is about as it’s very abstract, but as soon as you add the word Blitz, it all makes sense,” he said.
“Tom’s works on the Blitz taps into emotion and conveys a poetic not a literal view of the events.”
“The Clydebank Blitz was one of our darkest hours and continues to be engrained in the Clydebank psyche. Looking at Tom’s works I felt very proud that there was a Scottish artist of his ability who was visiting the subject of the Clydebank Blitz as part of his culture and heritage.”
Officially 528 people died – the youngest just eight weeks old and the oldest 88 – while 617 were seriously injured in the Clydebank Blitz.
However, the actual number may have been considerably higher as the remains of some victims were not found and not reported as whole families perished in the close-knit tenements.
The exhibition includes a list of names, ages and addresses of all those killed, including scores of children.
Out of its 12000 buildings in Clydebank, just seven were left undamaged and some 50,000 people were left homeless. Yet despite its ferocity, the attack was not regarded as a military success. The John Brown Shipyard and the engineering firm Beardmore’s Diesel Works were among the Luftwaffe’s targets, but neither was seriously damaged.
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