Duncan Shanks Works on Paper

Transcription

1 Duncan Shanks

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3 Duncan Shanks Works on Paper June Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6HZ Telephone Cover: The Shore Culzean, 1984, watercolour on paper, 29 x 60 cms (detail) (cat. 28) Left: Resting, 1965, pastel on paper, 33 x 42.5 cms (detail) (cat. 5)

4 2 foreword A private man, Duncan Shanks prefers to work free, unobserved, and alone, and has always felt reticent to exhibit his work. Since 1997 he has worked chiefly with The Scottish Gallery, producing a series of focussed exhibitions reflecting his responses to universal themes such as Nature and Time through paintings carefully pre-selected by him. I first encountered Duncan s work through his sketchbooks and studio studies as part of a five-year research project based at The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, and founded on the artist s generous gift of his entire production of sketchbooks 106 and counting. The research has led to a new understanding of the role of sketching and drawing in Duncan s work, and is highlighted in The Hunterian s current exhibition, Duncan Shanks Sketchbooks: The Poetry of Place (14 March 16 August 2015), and in its accompanying publication. Unlike his paintings, Duncan s sketchbooks were never intended to be seen by others. As such they offer an uncensored insight into the artist s working process, thoughts and aspirations. Ideas first explored in these sketchbooks were often subsequently developed in studio studies. When exhausted as useful reference points for future work, these studio studies are consigned to a large chest located in the basement of his house. When Guy Peploe heard of the opening up of the chest as part of The Hunterian project, he asked whether he too could look through its content with a view to organising an exhibition. To his surprise the artist agreed and the result of Guy s trawl through the chest is presented here in this show. This is not a retrospective but a selection of studies many being works of arts in their own right spanning five decades. Often related to series of paintings and to specific sketchbook studies, they explore nature from every angle and reflect the richness of Duncan s varied approaches to drawing and painting. Whether atmospheric evocations in ink and wash, moody mixed media works or semi abstract rearrangements of the landscape, this exhibition provides glimpses into one artist s remarkable journey from his student days to maturity, and into his search for a language to describe impermanence. Anne Dulau BEVERIDGE Curator Hunterian Art Gallery Right: Self Portrait, 1975, gouache on paper, 46 x 30 cms (detail) (cat. 14)

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6 4 1 Jim Hardie, 1957 pastel on brown paper 40 x 28 cms

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9 2 A Street in Florence Italy, 1961 pen and ink on paper 28.5 x 37.5 cms 7

10 8 3 Self Portrait Florence, 1961 pen and ink on paper 33 x 23.5 cms

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12 10 4 The Old Cart Islay, 1963 gouache on paper 30 x 34.5 cms

13 5 Resting, 1965 pastel on paper 33 x 42.5 cms 11

14 12 6 Snow Berries, 1969 oil on paper 52 x 33.5 cms

15 7 Hedgerow Coo Road, 1969 watercolour on paper 50 x 63 cms 13

16 14 8 White and Pink, 1969 oil on paper 56.5 x 39 cms

17 9 The Studio Cat, 1969 watercolour and pastel on paper 56 x 60 cms 15

18 16 10 The Oil Lamp, 1970 gouache on paper 53 x 71 cms

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20 18 11 Model Resting, 1970 oil and compressed charcoal on paper 49 x 47.5 cms

21 12 The Old Apple Orchard, Crossford, 1972 watercolour and pastel on paper 51 x 61.5 cms 19

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23 13 The Clyde Summer, 1975 oil pastel on paper 51.5 x 58 cms 21

24 22 14 Self Portrait, 1975 gouache on paper 46 x 30 cms

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26 24 15 Washing Day, 1978 gouache on paper 53 x 72 cms

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28 26 16 Fence across the Burn, 1978 watercolour on paper 39.5 x 54 cms

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31 29 17 Shower Tinto, 1979 gouache on paper 57 x 81 cms

32 30 18 Park Trees Autumn, 1979 gouache on paper 56 x 63 cms opposite: 19 Bedroom Window, 1979 watercolour and pastel on paper 75 x 56 cms

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35 20 The Studio Door, 1980 watercolour on paper 55 x 75.5 cms 33

36 34 21 The Clyde in Spate Crossford Bridge, 1980 pastel on paper 43 x 37.5 cms

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38 36 22 Roberton Burn, 1981 watercolour and pastel on paper 52 x 54 cms

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40 38 23 Cut Flowers, 1982 watercolour on paper 39 x 52 cms

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42 40 24 Patterns in the Sand Culzean, 1984 watercolour and pastel on paper 34.5 x 45.5 cms

43 25 The Receding Tide Culzean Beach, 1984 watercolour and pastel on paper 34.5 x 44 cms 41

44 42 26 Shore Window Culzean, 1984 watercolour on paper 40.5 x 55 cms

45 27 Shore Burn Culzean, 1984 watercolour on paper 52 x 73 cms 43

46 44 28 The Shore Culzean, 1984 watercolour on paper 29 x 60 cms

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49 29 Flowers, 1985 gouache on paper 56 x 76 cms 47

50 48 30 Above Coulter, 1990 watercolour on paper 36 x 50.5 cms

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52 50 31 Summer Path Crossford, 1993 acrylic on paper 70 x 100 cms

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54 52 32 Snowshower The Clyde, Crossford, 1995 watercolour and pastel on paper 56 x 69 cms

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56 54 33 Downpour Tinto, 1995 acrylic on paper 25.5 x 24.5 cms

57 34 Above the Waterfall Talla Reservoir, 1995 acrylic on paper 41.5 x 29.5 cms 55

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59 35 Gannet, 1995 acrylic and collage on paper 25.5 x 21.5 cms 57

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61 36 The Fall, 1996 acrylic on paper 70 x 76 cms 59

62 60 37 The Nethan River Moonlight, 1998 acrylic on paper 43 x 42 cms

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64 62 38 Moonlight, 1998 watercolour and charcoal on paper 56 x 70.5 cms

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66 64 39 Flying Free, 1999 acrylic on paper 28.5 x 26 cms

67 40 Christmas, 2000 acrylic on paper 43.5 x 46.5 cms 65

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69 41 Rooks, 2000 acrylic and collage on paper 100 x 71 cms 67

70 68 42 The Edge of the Field, 2000 acrylic on paper 21.5 x 25.5 cms

71 43 Valley Sunset, 2001 acrylic on paper 38 x 41 cms 69

72 70 44 Rocks and Scree Tinto Path, 2005 acrylic and pastel on paper 28.5 x 39.5 cms

73 45 Tinto Gully, 2005 acrylic and pastel on paper 39 x 40 cms 71

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75 46 Greenhouse, 2007 acrylic on paper 30.5 x 37.5 cms 73

76 74 47 Hedgerow and Meadow Flowers, 2009 acrylic 35 x 34.5 cms

77 48 Storm Clouds Approaching, 2011 acrylic on paper 21.5 x 18 cms 75

78 76 49 Storm Clouds Crossford, 2012 acrylic on paper 49.5 x 70.5 cms

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80 78 50 Summer Fields, 2012 acrylic on paper 49.5 x 66 cms

81 51 Mountain Sunset, 2012 acrylic on paper 33.5 x 33.5 cms 79

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83 52 Mist over the Valley, 2013 acrylic on paper 70 x 71 cms 81

84 82 53 Magic Towers I, 2013 acrylic on paper 38 x 38 cms

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86 84 Duncan Shanks RSA RSW RGI 1937 Born in Airdrie Studied Glasgow School of Art 1960 Post Diploma and Travelling Scholarship to Italy 1961 Part-time lecturer at Glasgow School of Art until Married Una Gordon, a fellow artist and lecturer at Hamilton College of Education 1967 Moved to Davingill House, Crossford 1979 Became a full-time painter Member of 1972 Elected Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy 1982 Elected Member of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts 1987 Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour 1990 Elected Full Member of the Royal Scottish Academy Solo Exhibitions 1974 First solo exhibition, Stirling University 1981 Duncan F. Shanks, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 1984 Duncan Shanks Recent Works, The Fine Art Society, Glasgow and Edinburgh 1988 Falling Water, Talbot Rice Art Centre, University of Edinburgh; Crawford Centre, University of St. Andrews; MacLaurin Art Gallery, Ayr; catalogue introduction by Duncan Macmillan 1990 Contemporary Art Season, Duncan Shanks, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow 1991 The Fine Art Society, Glasgow and Edinburgh Patterns of Flight, Wrexham Arts Centre Touring Exhibition; catalogue introduction by Roger Billcliffe 1992 Roger Billcliffe Fine Art, Glasgow 1994 The Creative Process, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow; catalogue introduction by Chris Allan Hill of Fire, Roger Billcliffe Fine Art, Glasgow 1997 Of Wet and of Wildness, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 1998 Duncan Shanks Capriccios, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow 2000 New Paintings, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2002 Beyond the Valley, Art London, with The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2004 Along an Overgrown Path, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2006 Air, Fire and Rain, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow 2007 In a Summer Garden, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2008 Duncan Shanks, Art London, with The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2009 In Search of Time Past, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2012 Across a Painted Sky, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2013 Drawing the Year, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2015 The Poetry of Place, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow Works on Paper , The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

87 85 Selected Group Exhibitions 1971 Art Spectrum Scotland, Scottish Arts Council Touring Exhibition 1975 Five Glasgow Painters, Edinburgh Arts Centre Contemporary Art from Scotland, Touring Exhibition arranged by The Scottish Gallery Scottish Painting, Toulouse 1984 Weather, Scottish Arts Council Travelling Gallery 1985 About Landscape, Edinburgh Festival Show, Talbot Rice Art Centre, University of Edinburgh Western Approaches, South West Galleries Association Contemporary Scottish Art, Rio de Janeiro 1986 Ten Scottish Painters, Upstairs Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, London 1988 The Scottish Show, Oriel 31 Touring Exhibition, Wales 1989 Ten Contemporary Scottish Painters, Thackeray Gallery, London 1991 Looking at Nature Looking at Art Approaches to Landscape, Dundee Art Galleries and Museums 2000 Scottish Landscape, The Scottish Gallery 2003 Six RSA Artists, University of Central Florida 2015 Modern Masters IV, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh Awards Scottish Arts Council Award Latimer Award and Macaulay Prize, Royal Scottish Academy Torrance Award, Cargill Award and Macfarlane Charitable Trust Award, Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts May Marshall Brown Award, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour Provost s Prize for Contemporary Art, Goma, 1996 Royal Bank of Scotland Award, RGI, 2001 Public Collections Arts Council of Great Britain Dunbartonshire Education Authority Dundee Art Gallery Edinburgh City Art Centre Glasgow Art Gallery Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Government Art Collection Highland Council Lillie Art Gallery, Milngavie Lothian Schools Picture Collection Low Parks Museum Pitlochry Festival Theatre Strathclyde Regional Council Education Authority university of Edinburgh university of Glasgow university of Stirling Tapestry commissioned by Coats Viyella, woven by Edinburgh Tapestry Company, presented to Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 1991

88 86 Private Collections Works in many private and corporate collections in Britain, Germany and North America including: Arthur Andersen & Co, Glasgow Bank of Japan Clydesdale Bank plc Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation Halifax Building Society Reader s Digest, New York Ross, Harper & Murphy, Glasgow Rowntree Mackintosh plc Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Amicable United Distillers plc William Teacher and Sons Ltd Literature 1990 William Hardie, Scottish Painting: 1837 to the Present, London Duncan Macmillan, Scottish Art: , Edinburgh 1993 William Hare, Contemporary Painting in Scotland, Edinburgh 1996 Duncan Macmillan, Scottish Art in the 20th Century, Edinburgh 2015 Anne Dulau Beveridge, The Poetry of Place, Duncan Shanks s sketchbooks and the Upper Clyde, Glasgow Films Scottish Television, The Scottish Picture Show, 1988, with Duncan Macmillan Scottish Television, Talking Pictures, 1992, with Vivien Hamilton BBC Education Scotland, Looking at Scottish Art, 1996 Duncan Shanks and Phoebe in his studio, 2011; photograph: John McKenzie

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90 88 Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition Duncan Shanks Works on Paper June 2015 Exhibition can be viewed online at ISBN: Designed by Photography by John McKenzie Printed by J Thomson Colour Printers All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers. 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6HZ Telephone mail@scottish-gallery.co.uk Right: Mist over the Valley, 2013, acrylic on paper, 70 x 71 cms (detail) (cat. 52)

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