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thanks the-athenaeum.org. (PD:US) |
1920: John McKirdy Duncan (Scottish; 1866-1945) paints his daughter Vivian (whom I'm thinking is Baba) and her distracted cat (whom I'm betting is Billy). When I first saw this odd and enchanting portrait, I thought "Here's another Symbolist I haven't seen." I was partially correct. There's a PreRaphaelite feel to the color and careful delineation of the main figures, but as a whole his subject matter is placed under a style I had not even known about:
Celtic Revival. I don't see any overtly Celtic symbolism here, only a lively little girl with a sure hand for her equally lively cat. Here's an interesting thing: this child who so confidently manages her pet grew up to become a doctor. Did Duncan see that confidence in her at this age? He certainly saw the match of high spirits between his blonde child and her elegant dark pet.
Here's a
slideshow of Duncan works on YouTube (I couldn't resist giving you the chance to see this). And
here is a roughly translated page which contains by far the most I have found on his life and work.
1 comment:
Not many women got to be doctors at that time. She must indeed have been special.
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