First World War at the Gallery of Modern Art Edinburgh
Written by Karen Bryan
Edinburgh’s modern art collection is housed in two adjacent buildings, the Dean Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art, to the west of the city centre in Dean.
The Dean Gallery
I paid a brief visit to the Gallery of Modern Art this week. I know it’s not always possible but I much prefer short visits to galleries and museums where you focus on a specific topic or artist. If I try to spend hours during a visit, I just feel that I can’t take it all in. I looked at the black and white works depicting the Fist World War. The were two pieces which made the biggest impression on me. The Card Players by Otto Dix which portrays 3 war veterans injured during action, one is playing with his mouth, another with his foot.
The other was “Death Marches” by Percy Smith, one of seven in the Dance of Death series of etchings from 1919. It shows the eager new infantry recruits marching four abreast with the ghostly figure of Death surveying its fresh batch of victims. Another etching in the series Death Awed, portraying Death hovering over a fallen soldier has been quoted as being “one of the unsung masterpieces of British etching”. When I tried find out more about Percy Smith I drew a blank which surprised me, as I found his work very moving.
Update 2 February 2010: The Percy Smith Exhibition is starting tomorrow at Forty Hall, Enfield Middlesex, England It will be open for the month of February 2010, 11-4pm, Wed- Sun, free admission. Please see website for details – http://www.percysmith.com
[...] 2 Travelodges in city centre, a wide array of museums and galleries such as the National Museum, Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Childhood, much to see and do off the beaten track and a good bus service [...]
I’m having the same trouble! The War Museum at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra has all seven etchings on display and, like you, I thought they were incredible.
ELizabeth – thanks for your comment. Isn’t the internet amazing that you can read what someone half way around the world thought of an art gallery display. I’m quite confounded by lack of information about Percy Smith, I think his work merits more publicity.
Percy Smith was married to my great aunt.
Your comments are interesting – we are trying to rectify the shortage of information on Percy Smith.
We are planning an exhibition of some of his work in Feb 2010 at Forty Hall Enfield Middlesex UK – he was a man of many talents – calligraphy, etching, sketches, portraits and watercolours.
There will also be a website that will provide further information – in the planning stage – http://www.percysmith.com
Peter – thanks very much for the update. It’s really good to know that there will soon be more information avaiable about the talented Percy Smith. It’s pity that I live in NE England as I’d have liked tocome to the exhibition next February. Let me know when the website is live and I’ll add a link to the post.
Oh, what a shame I’m in Australia! I would have liked to see the exhibition too.
Great news!
The Percy Smith Exhibition is starting tomorrow at Forty Hall, Enfield Middlesex. It will be open for the month of Fenruary, 11-4pm, Wed- Sun, free admission.
Please see website for details – http://www.percysmith.com
or email me for further information
Thanks for that update Peter, I have also copied and pasted your comment into the post text.