Perthshire Illustrated at Perth Museum
Running until December, Perth Museum has a new free exhibition called ‘Perthshire Illustrated’. As the name suggests, the focus is on pieces of art depicting Perthshire - but it is much more than that. It is an exploration of how the art of the period is often either a critique or a cover-up of the impact on people which our land use and management has had at different points. It also contained information which was honestly revelatory to me, things I genuinely had not known!
I'm sure most people will know that Queen Victoria played a significant role in popularising Scotland. This print shows Queen Victoria in Perth (looking very different and very grand). Of course, she purchased Balmoral, which has been in the Royal family ever since. Her interest in Scotland propelled a 19th Century tourist rush, and an interest in tartan once again. This sits uncomfortably with recent realities for the people of Scotland. This included the Highland Clearances - when crofters were forced from their land by the owners, in favour of more profitable sheep grazing and farming. The wearing of tartan had been restricted following the Jacobite rebellion, and led to clans losing some of their identity.
One significant learning point for me as part of this exhibition is how recent the invention of paint in a tube is - and how this revolutionised landscape painting. Until 1840, paints had to be ground then mixed by hand each time an artist wished to paint - I can only imagine how this must have curtailed their spontaneity! With the invention of glass jars, they became more portable, but still had limited shelf life. When an American artist invented re-sealable paint tubes in 1840, it led to a wave of interest in painting outside, directly from nature - ‘en plein air’, strongly associated with Impressionism.
Another fascinating element of the exhibition is the display of local maps - and another nugget of knowledge for me. The exhibition describes how the first OS (Ordnance Survey) maps were produced in response to the 1745 Jacobite rebellion by the military. They needed more detailed information on the Highland and coastal terrain. It was a surprise to me just how far back OS maps go. Whenever I travel abroad and rely on a local map, I have renewed appreciation for our OS maps. Now I know their origin. I urge you to visit Perthshire Illustrated at Perth Museum - you are also bound to learn something new! I am finishing up with a photo of one of my favourite paintings, a railway poster commissioned of Perth.
