How 17 artists have stood the test of time

Thirty years ago the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art hosted The Vigorous Imagination — the work of 17 young painters, installation and performance artists, and sculptors. This was a showpiece festival exhibition that caught the public mood and encapsulated the confidence of a new, energetic generation of Scottish artists.

The genesis of the show was a “protest exhibition” outside the gallery by the painters Philip Braham and the late Ian Hughes. Like Sandy Moffat and John Bellany, who had staged similar outcry in the same place 20 years previously, Braham and Hughes’s protest focused on the lack of celebration of home-grown talent, in preference to French painting, in particular, which had dominated Scottish art since the 19th century.

The result was an invitation to host a show that would survey the current scene. Art critic Clare Henry, Keith Hartley of the gallery and Henry Meyric Hughes of the British Council were the selectors. They chose four women (Gwen Hardie, Sam Ainslie, Kate Whiteford and June Redfern). The men included Adrian Wiszniewski, Stephen Conroy, Steven Campbell, Mario Rossi, Keith McIntyre, David Mach, Joseph Urie and Peter Howson.

Most of the artists were in their twenties, but Ainslie was in her late 30s and Urie was 40. As with any show of this nature there were exclusions and disappointments because the selection criteria (including the age of the participants) seemed partial, subjective and arbitrary. But the most startling aspect by today’s standards was the lack of gender balance, because the selection implied that the work of women was somehow less important and prominent than that of their male counterparts.

The current show, divided somewhat awkwardly across two commercial venues, gives an opportunity to re-assess some of the original works (the majority of these are in Edinburgh) and to compare these with recent works, in some cases side-by-side.

It is clear that most of the artists have moved on, some in very different directions, although the genesis of ideas, techniques and motifs can be clearly traced. Calum Colvin, who combines photography, painting and installation, has traced a trajectory from his early style to a much more refined, complex and satisfying body of work, exemplified by a suit relating to Charles Edward Stuart.

Hardie, who trained with the German painter Georg Baselitz in her early twenties, has moved away from bright colours and figuration to a more subdued, morbid and intense focus on human skin.

In 1987, Braham’s work focused on the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, where the Scots were defeated by the English, despite superior numbers, as a metaphor for political division. His recent work is still, contemplative and concerned with landscape as a repository of memory, transcending quotidian concerns.

The work of Ken Currie has matured, greatly improving with age. The same can be said of Ron O’Donnell, whose interest in photography, like Colvin’s, endures. But here he presents a more refined vision, combining installation and sculpture, with a photographic end-product. The results are beautiful and often heart-rending.

Redfern’s early worked exuded a raw energy, based on the female form. The work has mellowed to a more delicate palette, where figures are depicted rather than explored, so that it is less edgy and more commercially accessible.

There is much to ponder and enjoy here, despite the flaws. The challenge of the original show, which undoubtedly laid much groundwork in terms of confidence and identity, has been met by succeeding generations of Scottish artists.

Until November 18