I very recently took a trip to the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum in the West End of the city to see what difference the recent £25.5 million refurbishment had made to an already fascinating art venue. On approaching the building I was happy to see that the beautiful exterior was as magnificent as ever and on entering the building found that the unmistakable smell of the Art Gallery or ‘The Artys’ as it was known in my youth, was still there too. I had a look round a few things and as well as some recognisable pieces from years gone by, was somewhat surprised to find Sidney Devine LPs and record player
s among the exhibits. Further references to Glasgow’s Line Dancing passion were also dotted around. My first reaction was that the museum were clutching at straws to come up with new exhibits and I was about to be somewhat unimpressed. However, after making my way through displays of stuffed animals, a suspended Spitfire and some very bizarre ‘floating heads’ I made my way to the art gallery rooms on the upper floor. One area that caught my eye was the Scottish Identity in Art section. In particular the huge print on the wall entitled The Scotsman by Ron O’Donnell (1987). Ron O’Donnell is a well known contemporary-art photographer and this brilliant piece of work shows inside a Scotsman’s house or at least depicts the Scotsman the way non Scottish people may see him. It asks the viewer to look at the picture and see how many things show that this is the house of a Scotsman? The picture shows everything from a tartan rug, shortbread fingers and bottles of whisky to the more discreet items like the television and the telephone, both of which were invented by a Scotsman. At first I thought I should be offended at my nation being depicted in this stereotypical way but after a while I realised that many of the things in the picture could be found in my house and the houses of almost everyone I know. They may not be displayed all at the one time but they are there none the less. I realised that Art can often portray the way we see ourselves and the more I looked at The Scotsman the more inclined I was to agree with the portrayal of Scottish life. There was a space for visitors comments underneath and when I read the affectionate messages from all around the world I realised that the picture had various purposes; one was to entertain our foreign visitors and depict the Scots as they see us, another was for Scottish people to laugh at themselves but at the same time be proud of how much Scotland has achieved in the field of technology. After finally managing to move away from this entertaining piece of work it was back downstairs in time for a recital on the Art Galleries beautiful organ, a cup of tea and a slightly overpriced slice of cake. Overall I would have to say, yes, the millions have been well spent!
s among the exhibits. Further references to Glasgow’s Line Dancing passion were also dotted around. My first reaction was that the museum were clutching at straws to come up with new exhibits and I was about to be somewhat unimpressed. However, after making my way through displays of stuffed animals, a suspended Spitfire and some very bizarre ‘floating heads’ I made my way to the art gallery rooms on the upper floor. One area that caught my eye was the Scottish Identity in Art section. In particular the huge print on the wall entitled The Scotsman by Ron O’Donnell (1987). Ron O’Donnell is a well known contemporary-art photographer and this brilliant piece of work shows inside a Scotsman’s house or at least depicts the Scotsman the way non Scottish people may see him. It asks the viewer to look at the picture and see how many things show that this is the house of a Scotsman? The picture shows everything from a tartan rug, shortbread fingers and bottles of whisky to the more discreet items like the television and the telephone, both of which were invented by a Scotsman. At first I thought I should be offended at my nation being depicted in this stereotypical way but after a while I realised that many of the things in the picture could be found in my house and the houses of almost everyone I know. They may not be displayed all at the one time but they are there none the less. I realised that Art can often portray the way we see ourselves and the more I looked at The Scotsman the more inclined I was to agree with the portrayal of Scottish life. There was a space for visitors comments underneath and when I read the affectionate messages from all around the world I realised that the picture had various purposes; one was to entertain our foreign visitors and depict the Scots as they see us, another was for Scottish people to laugh at themselves but at the same time be proud of how much Scotland has achieved in the field of technology. After finally managing to move away from this entertaining piece of work it was back downstairs in time for a recital on the Art Galleries beautiful organ, a cup of tea and a slightly overpriced slice of cake. Overall I would have to say, yes, the millions have been well spent!
No comments:
Post a Comment