Capturing a Lost Glasgow | Louise Annand

An accomplished filmmaker a prominent voice in Scotland’s art community, Louise Annand’s (1915-2012) scenes of Glasgow celebrate its urban decay at a time when the parts of the city were experiencing total upheaval to make way for a metropolitan landscape for the modern age.

Hugely inspired by Glasgow’s crumbling urban landscape, Annand’s Tenements and Anderston offer glimpses into a precarious time for many of Glasgow’s citizens as scores of tenements were demolished to make way for the M8 motorway, cutting through the heart of the city. Once thriving communities found themselves displaced, and the unique character of Glasgow was threatened by redevelopment.

 

 

Lot 526 offers a spectacular view of Anderston in the East End of Glasgow. Painted between 1970 and 1971, this panoramic angle allows us to take in the destruction left behind in the early days of the redevelopment. Despite the murkiness of the land, the hues of orange and pastel blue breathe life and warmth into this vast wasteland, as the few left behind continue about their day in the vast space they once called home.

 

 

In lot 527, Annand examines the surviving structures in a Glasgow neighbourhood, where half-demolished tenements anxiously await their demise. A common sight during the 1970s and 80s, remnants of wallpapers and fireplaces are prominently displayed on the raw gable ends, serving as a harsh reminder of what is to come for the rest of the community.

In a similar vein to Joan Eardley’s (1921-1963) Glasgow scenes, Annand’s pieces are poignant snapshots of the city’s recent history, the effects of which are still very much felt today. 

Lot 527 sold for a hammer of £100 in the 19 January Scottish Contemporary Art auction, but lot 526 is still available for bidding in our Contemporary Pictures Online auction with an estimate of £200-400.

 

Click to view full auction catalogue >>

Jenny MacLeod

 

If you have pictures you wish to sell, please contact pictures@mctears.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

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