The Glory of Glasgow

The hazy outlines of interiors, facades and figures in Andrew Cranston’s latest painting series are ephemeral impressions of Glasgow, the artist’s home of almost three decades. When asked what he likes about the Scottish city, he says that it’s “quite weird.” Especially, he notes, “in terms of time.”

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“There’s quite a lot of old buildings and new buildings, side by side. This sense of time on the buildings, it’s quite amazing,” says Cranston, 55, describing the vestiges of its Industrial Revolution-era prosperity and more ornate influences of the Victorian era alongside the pronounced modernity weaving in and out of its blocks. “I get a lot of stimulation,” he adds of the cityscape steeped in its own history.

On view at Karma in Los Angeles, “One day this will be a long time ago” explores the many facets of the “rough” yet “beautiful” Glasgow as seen from Cranston’s pensive, often uncanny point of view. The show puts forth 25 oil paintings, all 2024, done on a mix of canvas, board and book hardcovers. The subject matter—set varyingly in intimate spaces, built environments, and against muted, indistinct shapes veering toward abstraction or surrealism—stretches fluidly from public to private sphere, at once ghostly and contemporary.

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Take The stairs (a dream), which depicts a pale figure climbing up a blanched, expansive outdoor stairway toward what looks to be a town square bordered by a wide, official-looking building; above in the pastel sky floats a diffuse black cloud, perhaps a puff of smoke or a swarm of something sentient. In contrast, the jollier Tinseltown in the rain displays a magenta backdrop on which is emblazoned neon lettering spelling out “Barrowland,” the name of a real-life Glasgow music venue and dance hall dating back to 1934. Yet even the festive atmosphere is suffused with enigma, as nebulous, shadowy silhouettes appear to wander alone across the dance floor.

On its surface, Flitting presents a sparse cream and grey room with windows looking out onto lush greenery. At the same time, the work taps into the spectral realm through process and aesthetic, as Cranston painted over objects and people that he’d initially put in the composition. “There’s a lot of things that went into it that painting that came out,” he describes. “It’s a bit like Glasgow: There are traces of people, and lots of past waves in a place.”

‍Andrew Cranston’s “One day this will be a long time ago” is on view through September 14, 2024 at at Karma Los Angeles at 7351 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90046.