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Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

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Open Country: Inspiration on the Tay

Inspiration on the Tay

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Inspiration on the Tay

Dougie Vipond explores the artistic influence of the Tay estuary.

Dougie Vipond explores the artistic influence the estuary of the River Tay has had on painters and writers through the centuries.

Dougie Vipond visits the River Tay, which runs from its source in the Highlands, past Dundee and out to sea. For centuries, the Tay estuary has shaped how creative people have expressed themselves. Starting at McDuff's Cross, the author Robin Crawford explains the Tay's link to Shakespeare - who was said to have drawn inspiration for his play Macbeth from this area. Pre-Raphaelite painters Turner and Millais knew the area well, Beatrix Potter imagined some of her most famous creations on the Tay's banks, and some of Scotland's best known artists such as Raeburn and Naismith depicted the landscape in their paintings. Dougie visits the studio of a contemporary landscape artist, Helen Glassford, to find out how her view of the silvery Tay continues to have an impact on artists today.

Produced by Ruth Sanderson

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