Joan Eardley & Catterline

The Scottish painter Joan Eardley (1921–63) first visited the small Aberdeenshire fishing village of Catterline in 1950, shortly after graduating from art school; for the rest of her life, she divided her time between Glasgow and the North East. She was entranced both by the village and by the ‘vast seas, vast areas of cliff’ beyond it, which she depicted in her vivid, gestural landscapes – completed outdoors in habitually inclement conditions. This display at the recently reopened National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh (from 16 May) includes nine oil paintings and 13 works on paper, as well as photographs and archival materials. Marking the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth, it is part of a wider series of centenary events and displays across Scotland. Find out more about the show from the NGS website – and read Samuel Reilly on Eardley in Glasgow, from the May 2021 issue of Apollo, here.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here