I first met the artist Angus Neil in Glasgow in the early 1980s. I was living in Garnethill and married with a family and gainfully unemployed.
This was the height of the "Thatcherschina" and times were hard, particularly in Glasgow. Nonetheless Garnethill was a wonderful community to be poor in.
There was a diverse mix of people from a great variety of ethnic groups, The clergy were simply crawling all over the place, with a convent, a buddhist temple, a chapel, a synagogue, a free presbyterian mission and a host of other faiths. My stepson went to a primary school where thirty three languages were spoken at home.
The Glasgow School of Art was the most imposing building in Garnethill, in a close contest with St Aloysius' School. The Art School ensured a continuing connection with Bohemians from an earlier age. Bill MacLellan and Hamish MacQueen were prominent in these circles.
One very dark and dull day it was a signing on day and as usual the day when the money from the previous Giro had run out. I took it upon myself to cross the road and try to tap up Hamish MacQueen for a loan until the next Giro arrived a couple of days later.
I walked across the street in the gloom, mulling over Koestler's "Darkness At Noon" and went into the close in Hamish's tenement, a fine old "Greek Thompson" building.
Like many tenement closes in that era , including my own, the close was still lit by gaslight. A guy from the Council came round and lit the lamps every evening. This being the middle of the day, there was only natural light from the very dirty fanlight at the top of the close. In effect it was pitch dark.
As I recall Hamish stayed on the second floor. I inched my way up the stairs through the gloom and found Hamish's door. I knocked and awaited an answer.
From behind me a voice said out of the darkness.
"I dinna think he's in".
I nearly jumped out of my skin. When I recovered my composure I fell into a conversation with a wheezy-voiced character who explained that he also was looking to borrow some money from Hamish. I still had no idea of who this person was or what they looked like.
"Never mind" I said, "We can go back to my house for a cup of tea and a blether while we wait for Hamish to come back."
This was duly consented to and we began our cautious descent in the darkness to get to the foot of the close. In the dim light of day I was able to make out the features of my new-found companion. Of middling height with a moustache and a stubbly unshaven beard he was gloriously filthy in his demeanour and clothes.
We got back across the street and I settled him into a chair and put the kettle on. My wife raised her eyebrows as if to ask - "who the hell is this?".
The conversation started easily enough with the two of us exchanging names and relating how we knew Hamish and what our business with him was that day.
After a while Angus cadged a fag or two. By then he was clearly comfortable in his new-found friends and related to us that he had been living rough since he had "escaped from a mental asylum in Montrose".
"Oh" says I, "I'm from near Montrose, was it Sunnyside Hospital?".
Angus looked at me in astonishment. "How the hell dae you ken that?" he wheezed.
As it happened my mother had worked at the wonderfully-named Sunnyside for a number of years as a Diversional Therapist. That was the title then given to Occupational Therapy Assistants. We worked out that Angus actually knew my Mother!
Real small world stuff. After a pleasant hour or two, we decided to chance another trip across the road to see if Hamish was in. By this time the lamplighter had been and we could see our way up the close. Hamish was delighted to see Angus. He was less delighted to see me but loaned a fiver "until the day after tomorrow". A true gentleman.
I never saw Angus again till four years later when I was a Student Nurse at Sunnyside Hospital, learning my trade as a psychiatric nurse. He remembered me well and we had a great conversation about Hamish and the Garnethill literary and artistic scene.
Some years after that one of Angus's paintings was featured by Aberdeen Art Gallery in their "Picture of the month" . As I recall it was February - Claude Monet, March - Angus Neil which caused us both some amusement as we drove up in a hospital car to see the painting on exhibit.
Angus died in 1992. His paintings live on though;
10 paintings by Angus Neil
The link may require registration, but it's worth it. Enjoy.
This was the height of the "Thatcherschina" and times were hard, particularly in Glasgow. Nonetheless Garnethill was a wonderful community to be poor in.
There was a diverse mix of people from a great variety of ethnic groups, The clergy were simply crawling all over the place, with a convent, a buddhist temple, a chapel, a synagogue, a free presbyterian mission and a host of other faiths. My stepson went to a primary school where thirty three languages were spoken at home.
The Glasgow School of Art was the most imposing building in Garnethill, in a close contest with St Aloysius' School. The Art School ensured a continuing connection with Bohemians from an earlier age. Bill MacLellan and Hamish MacQueen were prominent in these circles.
One very dark and dull day it was a signing on day and as usual the day when the money from the previous Giro had run out. I took it upon myself to cross the road and try to tap up Hamish MacQueen for a loan until the next Giro arrived a couple of days later.
I walked across the street in the gloom, mulling over Koestler's "Darkness At Noon" and went into the close in Hamish's tenement, a fine old "Greek Thompson" building.
Like many tenement closes in that era , including my own, the close was still lit by gaslight. A guy from the Council came round and lit the lamps every evening. This being the middle of the day, there was only natural light from the very dirty fanlight at the top of the close. In effect it was pitch dark.
As I recall Hamish stayed on the second floor. I inched my way up the stairs through the gloom and found Hamish's door. I knocked and awaited an answer.
From behind me a voice said out of the darkness.
"I dinna think he's in".
I nearly jumped out of my skin. When I recovered my composure I fell into a conversation with a wheezy-voiced character who explained that he also was looking to borrow some money from Hamish. I still had no idea of who this person was or what they looked like.
"Never mind" I said, "We can go back to my house for a cup of tea and a blether while we wait for Hamish to come back."
This was duly consented to and we began our cautious descent in the darkness to get to the foot of the close. In the dim light of day I was able to make out the features of my new-found companion. Of middling height with a moustache and a stubbly unshaven beard he was gloriously filthy in his demeanour and clothes.
We got back across the street and I settled him into a chair and put the kettle on. My wife raised her eyebrows as if to ask - "who the hell is this?".
The conversation started easily enough with the two of us exchanging names and relating how we knew Hamish and what our business with him was that day.
After a while Angus cadged a fag or two. By then he was clearly comfortable in his new-found friends and related to us that he had been living rough since he had "escaped from a mental asylum in Montrose".
"Oh" says I, "I'm from near Montrose, was it Sunnyside Hospital?".
Angus looked at me in astonishment. "How the hell dae you ken that?" he wheezed.
As it happened my mother had worked at the wonderfully-named Sunnyside for a number of years as a Diversional Therapist. That was the title then given to Occupational Therapy Assistants. We worked out that Angus actually knew my Mother!
Real small world stuff. After a pleasant hour or two, we decided to chance another trip across the road to see if Hamish was in. By this time the lamplighter had been and we could see our way up the close. Hamish was delighted to see Angus. He was less delighted to see me but loaned a fiver "until the day after tomorrow". A true gentleman.
I never saw Angus again till four years later when I was a Student Nurse at Sunnyside Hospital, learning my trade as a psychiatric nurse. He remembered me well and we had a great conversation about Hamish and the Garnethill literary and artistic scene.
Some years after that one of Angus's paintings was featured by Aberdeen Art Gallery in their "Picture of the month" . As I recall it was February - Claude Monet, March - Angus Neil which caused us both some amusement as we drove up in a hospital car to see the painting on exhibit.
Angus died in 1992. His paintings live on though;
10 paintings by Angus Neil
The link may require registration, but it's worth it. Enjoy.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI've just come across this after trying to find Angus' work. Google isn't very helpful and only bringing up 10 paintings.
I'm looking for a specific portrait, called "Marnie" which has been displayed at a gallery in Aberdeen not long after Angus' death. It was also put into the programme from the gallery.
My mother worked in Sunnyside and became good friends with Angus and he wanted to paint a portrait of me but it was rejected by the hospital so he had to make do with a photo. Angus never liked the portrait because of this.
I would very much like it if somehow someone has a picture of this portrait as I am keen to see it again. My mother has the orignal portrait but would rather it destroyed than passed to me, so no luck there.
Thanks
Marnie
Hi Marnie,
DeleteThe only thing I can think of would be that it might be in a catalogue of the exhibition. I know that Angus's work featured in exhibitions at Aberdeen Art Gallery at various times.
They might be able to help. they can be contacted at;
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 523700
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 523666
Email: info@aagm.co.uk
Good luck, I will contact you again via Google +
Best wishes,
Eye remember Angus very well from Liff Hospital near Dundee. Eyeam also a painter...perhaps even an ex-Artist
ReplyDelete..feel free to share your memories of Angus here...
DeleteAngus Neil is my Great Uncle, Iain Murray Neil (a bohemian in his own right) was my Grandfather (Bundy) 1922-2017 this is Angus's Brother. Of anyone is interested in images of Iain's paintings I would love to share them with you.
ReplyDeleteCheers Glen Neil