A Pair of Scottish Printmakers

As usual, it’s the etchings that have caught my eye in this month’s Paintings, Drawings and Prints online auction. Scottish artists made an important contribution to the Etching Revival movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the following lots are two examples of two of Scotland’s prominent printmakers.

One of my favourites is lot 702 which is a strong example of the work of eminent printmaker, Wilfred Crawford Appleby. This is a dramatic depiction of the demolition of the much-loved Lister Ward in the Royal Infirmary of Glasgow in 1926, and Appleby’s use of perspective and extreme contrasting tones gives this piece a very clean and graphic look. This print carries an auction estimate of £80-120.

Another printmaker represented in this sale is Carluke born artist, James Cadzow (1881 – 1941). Educated at Edinburgh College of Art, Cadzow frequently exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. He was praised for his atmospheric depictions of Scottish landscapes, so lot 722 is unusual in his output as it is quite clearly a French architectural study. Before turning to art Cadzow trained and qualified as an architect, and this is evident in his excellent attention to detail which was lauded by critics. Lot 722 carries an attractive auction estimate of £40-60.

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Jenny MacLeod

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