 |
| St Bride, John Duncan c.1913 |
The subject matter is very much informed by the Celtic Revival/ Twilight movement, and my inner pedant wrestles slightly with my more romantic side because of the anachronism: St Bride being transported across the water - and through time - to Bethlehem at the birth of Christ, to act as midwife for Mary. My mind flashes to Dr Who very briefly but, almost immediately, the beauty of the painting grabs me, and, like Bride, I too, am transported.
At the centre, the stern face of the angel whose eyes, and indeed, whole body are focused forward upon the task and destination. There's an immense dignity and strength, a strength seen in the angel's hands as it carries the precious cargo onward. A suggestion of a cross with the angle of Bride's body echoing the angel's wing...Bride, the pious, who even in her sleep is seen in an attitude of prayer, and wearing white for purity.
In contrast to the near-severity of the central angel, there's a tenderness in the leading angel's face, which turns back and looks upon Bride with care and compassion. The richly detailed robes worn by the angels tell stories from the life of Christ. Perhaps they also tell a story in miniature of the artist, John Duncan; on the leading angel, is the clown/ holy fool leading the procession a self-portrait of one who may have been a little mad? Earthly creatures meet this heavenly procession. Bobbing amidst the sea-foam, a seal crests the waves while two rather cheerful seagulls follow.
I love how the subjects in the painting are not contained by the border: a halo, wings of angel and bird, and feet break free from the constraints that seek to impose order. The artist perhaps thinking 'outside of the box' way before the term was coined.
It is an odd thing, this. Although I can describe various aspects of this painting, what I can't at all describe is how - or why - this painting moves me so, or why it is one of my favourites. All I know is that, somewhere in the deep core of my being, the painting just strikes a chord in some way. I could use the words 'transcendent', or 'beauty', but perhaps it's okay to accept that some things go beyond words.
2 comments:
Hello,
I want to tell you a true story. I am a 71 yr old woman living in Bloomington, IN (about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, in the USA.
I was a full-time returning student at our hometown Indiana University in 1994. One day, while walking near the downtown campus, I saw a poster being displayed outside on a sidewalk sale by a small card and gift shop. I spotted it from across the street. I had no idea why, but immediately the word Scotland popped into my mind. I crossed over and read the information about the poster. It was John Duncan's St.Bride! And it hung in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburg! I've had few mysterious moments in my life, but this was definitely one of them! I had goosebumps as I bought the poster. Here's the amazing thing, my father was born in Dundee Scotland, his mother was a Duncan and I am a 2nd or 3ed cousin of John Duncan!
I had the poster framed and hung it in my bedroom. It truly speaks to me. I love everything about it, the symbolism, the theme, the colors, the luminosity, etc. I had an art class that semester and used the painting as the model for a wall plaque I made in it's image. I also bought a book about Duncan at that time and did some research on him.
When my late husband and I took a 35yr anniversary trip to Europe in 2000, we visited Dundee and Edinburg where I saw the original St. Bride and other wonderful Duncan paintings! There were wonderful and I fulfilled one of the things on my "Bucket List"
I thought you might enjoy this story.
All the best,
Georgia Herschell Duncan Sumner
I can truly relate to serendipity, this is a most original painting
Post a Comment