Exhibition
on Rural Life at Kittochside
1
July - 1 August 2003
Museum of Scottish Country Life, Kittochside, East Kilbride
Press
View: 30 June, 2003 at 11am
Over
100 beautiful paintings by renowned wildlife artist Keith Brockie
are featured in a new exhibition at the Museum of Scottish Country
Life, Kittochside. Rural Portraits: Scottish Native Farm Animals,
Characters & Landscapes features pictures of every breed of
Scottish native farm animal as well as landscapes, people, and aspects
of rural life.
Many
of the breeds portrayed are rare or endangered, such as the North
Ronaldsay sheep, Castlemilk Moorit sheep, the Eriskay pony and the
Shetland cow. As farming practices have changed, some of the older
native breeds have been supplanted by faster growing types from
Continental Europe or North America to suit changing market needs.
.‘Shetland
Ponies from Uist, Shetland,’ Image copyright of Keith Brockie
The
exhibition is complemented by six 19th century portraits by William
Sheils, which are on permanent display in the Museum of Scottish
Country Life. William Sheils was commissioned by David Low, the
second Professor of Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh,
to create an accurate pictorial record of domestic breeds of animals.
From 1829 onwards, in what became a lifetime's work, William Sheils
painted 100 of these portraits, depicting many breeds of animals
which are now obsolete. The six on display at the Museum date from
the 1830's to 1840's.
Duncan
Dornan, General Manager of the Museum of Scottish Country Life,
says: 'It is fascinating to compare Keith Brockie's contemporary
portraits of Scottish breeds with the 19th century portraits by
William Sheils, which were painted at the very infancy of animal
breeding. The exhibition as a whole presents a unique and enthralling
insight into Scotland's rapidly changing rural life and we are delighted
it is on show at the Museum.'
Keith
Brockie's pictures are illustrations from the book Rural Portraits:
Scottish Native Farm Animals, Characters & Landscapes, by Polly
Pullar, which is a unique visual and written record of country life
in many areas of Scotland, and the first time that all Scotland's
breeds have been portrayed in this way.
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