Infused with Place

Paintings of the sea have an emotional resonance with many people. This book blends Scottish art with Scotland's geography to engage that interest, and to compliment and challenge the central canons of art custodians and experts, that art is analysed and understood most often in terms of who (the artist was/is) and when (the work was created). Where (the creative act occurred) is seldom considered as significant. However, human understanding of the world depends on spatiality as well as temporality. The book develops a conceptual framework of spatiality that is applicable to any painting, illustrates a suite of methods to situate painter, painting and geography, and finally applies the framework and methodology in a case study of the Scottish paintings of one artist, American Jon Schueler. The overall conclusion is that just as place is a necessary and definitive constituent of an artist's identity, so too is place a necessary and definitive constituent of a painting's identity. In building this place-based concept, the book constructs an important addition to the understanding and criticism of art. It carries an extensive bibliography of relevant articles and books to support the methodology.