An art school for the future

Sir, – On reading Jim Crumley’s article (June 19) regarding the tragic demise of the Glasgow School of Art, I wondered if he was a bit of a mind reader.

At a meeting I attended on Monday the subject of the fire was raised and during the course of the discussion I expressed sentiments similar to Jim’s.

As a young teenager I had the privilege of exploring all the nooks and crannies of the Art School as my brother David Donaldson was a pupil there and went on to be head of a department.

David used to take me round the school pointing out the various points of interest and the wonderful studio where he taught.

It was a magical place with that smell of oil and turpentine mix. I suppose at that time in the 1940s and ’50s David, with his beard and long hair, was referred to as Bohemian and that added something to the air of adventure and excitement after the bland war years.

Sadly the building is no more. The soul has been ripped out of it and that is one thing that cannot be replaced or recreated.

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh building will never be forgotten but let us move on to the times we live in now.

Why not have a competition between past and present students of Glasgow School of Art to produce a plan that would build something our future generations can look at in awe, just as we did when Charles Rennie Mackintosh produced his masterpiece?

As Jim Crumley states “Mackintosh would like that.” May Duffus. Lomond Drive, Carnoustie.