Author(s): Pamela Robertson

Art

Discussions of the 'Glasgow Four' and the 'Glasgow Style' inevitably lead to the well-documented careers of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald. However, this obscures the complete picture and ignores the significant contribution made to British art history by the other two members of the 'Glasgow Four'. Here, for the first time, the lives and careers of Frances Macdonald (1873-1921), sister of Margaret Macdonald, and J. Herbert McNair (1868-1955), the two artists who have hitherto been considered as adjuncts to the Mackintoshes, are surveyed in detail. Presenting the finest examples of the artists' work, "Doves and Dreams" will spotlight the achievements of two remarkable artists: McNair, the innovator and inspirational teacher, and Macdonald, an exceptional talent who produced some of the most remarkable symbolist watercolours of the twentieth century. The narrative of their art is seen against the backdrop of their often tragic personal stories in Glasgow and Liverpool, and includes the artists' engagements with Glasgow School of Art, The Art Sheds and the Sandon Studios, Liverpool.