Caley Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caley Station |
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| Artist | Edwin G Lucas |
| Year | 1942 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 99cm x 73.7cm |
| Location | City Art Centre |
Caley Station is a cool oil painting made by Edwin George Lucas in 1942. Lucas was known for his unique surrealist paintings. These were quite special in British art during the 1900s. This painting was shown at the 15th Edinburgh Art Festival in 2018. It was part of a big celebration of art in Edinburgh. You can find it today at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh.
About the Painting
The Princes Street railway station was a busy train station in Edinburgh. It was a main entry point into the city. In 2019, an art show at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian hotel reminded people of the old station. This hotel now stands where the station used to be. The show made this painting famous again!
People often called the station "The Caley." Lucas's painting perfectly shows what life was like there. The artist, Edwin Lucas, lived in Juniper Green from 1917 to 1947. This was the end of the train line. Many of his paintings were inspired by what he saw from the train window. He rode it to school and work.
In the 1930s, he started painting scenes around Juniper Green. He painted the Water of Leith valley and views from the Pentlands. Lucas's surrealist art was very new and different for its time. It was one of the few examples of surrealism in Scottish art. He didn't get many chances to show his most unique work. So, the art world didn't pay much attention to him back then. Lucas thought this painting was his best memory of Edinburgh. He gave it to the city in 1990, the year he passed away.
What the Painting Shows
The painting shows a busy crowd rushing past the ticket counter at the station. But look closely! Through a dark outline of the artist himself, the painting takes us back in time. You can see the grand, old Victorian inside of Princes Street Station.
The artist's own outline helps us know that this is his special way of seeing the scene. Sunlight comes through the glass roofs. This shows the amazing details in Lucas's paintings. They look almost like modern photographs!
