Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two), EdinburghWords and ideas are as one – and at war – in Finlay’s witty, elegant work, from sculptures to screenprints, which are ideally displayed in this intimate centenary showStar/Steer is a masterpiece from 1968 by the Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006). What you see can be simply described. The word “star” appears a dozen times, screenprinted in silver on deep grey. They graduate down the page in a swaying column. Right at the bottom is a 13th word, “steer”, as if tethering – or guided by – all these descending stars.Each star is like an instance of itself, glimmering out of a fog, and the winding pattern irresistibly evokes starlight on rippling water. You look up to the stars, and down to the invisible boat summoned by that noun-verb “steer”. Which star to follow, how to navigate at sea, what the night skies can hold: the work is a visualisation, a poem and a prayer. Continue reading...