For a small country, and one whose nation school was late in developing, the history of Scotland’s visual arts is particularly rich and diverse. After The Act of Union in 1707, the newly founded image of Great Britain provoked Scotland into defining its own identity. For many Scots, The Act of Union was understood to be a negotiated partnership; the state of Britain had been created, yet Scotland kept its kirk, its law and its education system, conserving a level of national identity. This newly formed state enabled trade with English colonies, and saw Scotland rise culturally, socially and economically. As we mark the 275^th anniversary of The Battle of Culloden on 16^th April, we look at the ebb and flow of Scottish national identity in art, and how these changes reflect the way we perceive ‘Scottishness’ today.

It was against the backdrop of the newly formed Union that Allan Ramsay (1713-1784) rose as a painter to the highest levels of European success. As a result of his travels in Europe, Ramsay developed into a sophisticated artist capable of an elegance, particularly in his female portraits, equal of any painter in Europe. His clients were emblematic of Scotland's success, not only within the British Empire, but in the act of defining it against the backdrop of the Enlightenment. Through an introduction by the 3rd Earl of Bute, the King's first minister, Ramsay was appointed King's Limner in 1760. However, it was only three years before the Earl of Bute was forced to resign in the face of increasing anti-Scottish sentiment amongst the English. Ramsay and his successor, Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), were among the first to embrace a dual identity: to be both Scottish and British, negotiating both the ambitions and frictions of union.

Artistically, this national culture took hold most firmly in the genre of landscape painting. Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840) was in many ways a product of the Enlightenment as an architect, landscape designer and painter. It is important, though, that we see his pictures of Scotland's rugged, romantic landscape against the emerging science of the time. He gave his landscapes special significance and Nasmyth's pictures of the rugged Scottish countryside speak of history measured in aeons, not centuries.

During the nineteenth century, art had a much more profound role than mere decoration. Many landscape painters were to follow in Nasmyth’s footsteps and took Scotland as their subject, one which became synonymous with the country's identity, as well as defining its singularity. Indeed, works such as John MacWhirter’s (1839-1911) Pre-Raphaelite inspired landscape of Culzean Castle speaks to the viewer about the fabled history of Scotland.

Artists increasingly sought to study abroad. Paris, Antwerp and the Hague attracted artists for what was considered an improved artistic education. This brought realism, learnt from French and Dutch contemporaries, to the centre of the subject matter of Scottish painters. No movement embraced this more than The Glasgow Boys, who enjoyed international acclaim, both on the Continent and in America. Their new approach to colour and technique was radical; as seen in E.A. Walton’s (1860-1922) November, the group took subjects that defined the social reality of Scotland. The Boys also travelled further afield, as seen in Arthur Melville’s (1855-1904) exquisite watercolour of Mosul at Dawn , which perfectly captures the beginning of the day.