Ailsa Turner
This evocative description was applied to one of McTaggart’s early paintings by his close friend and fellow painter Paul Chalmers. The characteristics suggested, however, are found in McTaggart’s work throughout his long and prolific career. McTaggart’s affinity with John Constable’s aim to be a ‘natural painter’ is reflected in his subject matter and approach and Ailsa’s talk will explore the evolution of McTaggart’s painterly interpretations of the land and seascapes to which he was deeply attached and in which figures often form an engaging and integral part.
Ailsa Turner BA (Hons), PGCE, is a graduate of the Courtauld Institute of Art and, before moving to Glasgow, lectured for ten years in the education department of the National Gallery in London. Subsequently she lectured for seventeen at University of Glasgow, providing courses and specialist study days on Renaissance Art & Architecture, 17th Century Dutch & Flemish Painting and Spanish and Scottish Painting. She has now recently retired as a tutor in Art History for the University of Glasgow’s Short Courses (Lifelong Learning) programme.