Bill Hare

John Bellany was one of the most significant Northern European Expressionists of the modern era. As with all expressionists his art is highly subjective and autobiographical and his self-portraits range from carefully observed student studies to disguising himself in different roles within his epic pictorial narratives. This book concentrates on the role of self-portraiture in Bellany’s art to trace and present the complex development of his artistic and personal obsessions and shows how he portrayed himself through a variety of mediums, including his private sketch books and a wide range of printing techniques as well as drawings and paintings. It includes a foreword by Helen Bellany, the artist’s wife, plus an essay and interview from exhibition curators’ Bill Hare and Sandy Moffat. Moffat’s account charts his long-term friendship and collaboration with Bellany, from their time at art school up until the latter’s death.

Illustrated with 167 full colour images, this landmark book charts Alexander Moffat’s career from student days at Edinburgh College of Art in the 1960s to the recent Scotland’s Voices. Iconic portraits of major figures in literature and the other arts are represented. The cultural significance of the visual chronicle Moffat has created lies in his approach to portraiture. He aims not only to capture a sitter’s appearance but also to convey something of their inner character, reaching ‘a balance between emotional expression and compositional order’.

Following the fi rst volume of Bill Hare’s exploration Scottish Artists, Scottish Artists in an Age of Radical Change, this new volume, Scottish Art and Artists in Historical and Contemporary Context will expand on the invaluable contribution to the cultural development of modern and contemporary Scotland. Joan Eardley, Alan Davies, the Boyle Family, Ken Currie, Anthony Hatwell, Doug Crocker, Jack Knox, Lys Hansen, William Turnbull, Iain Robertson, Douglas Gordon and John Kennedy – are just some of the artists who Bill Hare explores in both their historical and contemporary contexts. From body politics to the Athenian way to Scottish artists in Venice, this book will reveal the importance and intellectual power this generation of Scottish artists have had over decades of time through a compilation of in-depth essays and interviews.

In his latest book, Bill Hare offers a comprehensive view of Scottish art from 1945 to the present day.

Illustrated with 167 full colour images, this landmark book charts Alexander Moffat's career from student days at Edinburgh College of Art in the 1960s to the recent Scotland's Voices.