New Portrait of Hugh MacDiarmid at Royal Scottish Academy

Description

HUGH McDiarmid once famously wrote that he wished he 'kent the physical basis/O' a lifes seemin airs and graces'.

Now the seminal Scottish poet's famous ruminations on life, the universe and Scotland in his landmark poem, A Drunk Man Looks at The Thistle, seem to have come to life, in an ongoing work of art at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in Edinburgh

The work of art by the Scottish artist Calum Colvin is taking shape in the building, which takes a appropriately three-dimensional look at the poet, whose real name was Christopher Murray Grieve.

 

The artwork, a trompe-l'oeil – an installation which tricks the eye – is part of the Ages of Wonder exhibition at the RSA, which celebrates the history of Scottish art at the RSA as well as its contemporary work.

Mr Colvin is working on the art work in public, and holding conversations with visitors to the exhibition as he works and they pass.

He said: "I normally work alone in a dark studio but it's been great meeting people and chatting to them as they pass and I've been able to explain the creative process."

Mr Colvin began work on the portrait of the poet and essayist – which combines sculpture, photography, painting and installation - in early November and hopes to have it completed before Christmas.

The art work includes contributions from the public, including a book, and a letter by the poet.

 

Colvin said he chose the poet as a subject because he was a controversial figure, but also an honorary academician.

The exhibition continues into early January.

Ages of Wonder is inspired by the moment in 1910 when the Royal Scottish Academy transferred a number of significant works to the national collection in the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), securing exhibiting rights within the building shared by the two institutions today.

The Academy had been a force behind the establishment of a national collection, and NGS and RSA had previously co-existed in what is now the National Gallery of Scotland.