Byrne? He’s just fine and dandy

by celebrated Scottish playwright, writer and artist and all-round lad o’pairts, John Byrne, who turned 80 earlier this year. The works have all been produced at Glasgow Print Studio since the early-1990s and include a selection of new screen prints, which have been hand-coloured by Byrne at the studio earlier this year.

Byrne’s association with the studio goes back to 1976, but this body of work moves effortlessly through various styles; from his revisited “Patrick” period (harking back to the 1960s when following a lack of success with London galleries, Byrne produced a series of paintings under the guise of “Patrick”), to Slab Boys, Teddy Boys, on to Cubist style works, Braque-like prints and the endearing Donald the Cat.

Naturally, Byrne takes centre stage, and his familiar crazy hair, beakish features, dandyesque moustache and hollow eyes are writ large on many walls, via a range of chameleon-like selfportraits and double portraits. At every turn, he experiments with the gamut of printmaking styles; etching, monotypes, mezzotint, screen prints, lithographs.

With a nod to his recent big birthday, the weight of years has settled heavily on his shoulders and “past historic” is a recurring theme. One of my favourite pieces in the show is a screen print with watercolour called Momento Mori. In this, Byrne stares askance at himself from a vivid orange backdrop. His head and shoulders – with the trademark long neck – are supported by skeleton-like scaffolding dancing what seems to be a merry jig.

Having been starved of “real live art” in the past few months, to see this up close sent shivers up my spine. For all sorts of reasons.

Byrne always seems to find a way of making whatever medium he chooses to work in all his own. A series of three tiny mezzotint self-portraits made in 2010 are pared-down, delicate and velvety soft, while the much larger Nova Scotia, a screen print with mixed media is rumbustious and energetic.

As if there wasn’t enough, John Byrne