Joan Eardley (1921-1963) is one of Scotland's most admired artists. During a career that lasted barely fifteen years, she concentrated on two very distinct themes: children in the Townhead area of central Glasgow, and the fishing village of Catterline, just south of Aberdeen, with its leaden skies and wild sea. The contrast between this urban and rural subject matter is self-evident, but the two are not, at heart, so very different. Townhead and Catterline were home to tight-knit communities, living under extreme pressure: Townhead suffered from overcrowding and poverty, and Catterline from depopulation brought about by the declining fishing industry. Eardley was inspired by the humanity she found in both places. These two intertwining strands are the focus of this book, which looks in detail at Eardley's working processes. Her method can be traced from rough sketches and photographs through to pastel drawings and large oil paintings. Identifying many of Eardley's subjects and drawing on unpublished letters, archival records and interviews, the authors provide a new and remarkably detailed account of Eardley's life and art.

This book will accompany the exhibition Joan Eardley: A Sense of Place which will be held at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art from 3rd December 2016 to 21st May 2017.

About the Author
Patrick Elliott is Senior Curator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh. He has written extensively on modern and contemporary art. Recent publications include The Amazing World of M.C. Escher, ISBN 9781906270889, 2015; Another World: Dali, Magritte, Miro and the Surrealists, ISBN 9781906270308, 2010; Tony Cragg, 2011; The Two Roberts: Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde, ISBN 9781906270742, 2014.


Book Information
ISBN 9781911054023
Author Patrick Elliott
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint National Galleries of Scotland
Publisher National Galleries of Scotland
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 275mm * 13mm