John Bellany: A Life in Print
12 October – 9 November 2013
Edinburgh Printmakers
The Edinburgh Printmakers has selected, commissioned and published the exhibition prints from their archive formed during the long established partnership with John Bellany (1942-2013).The collection spans over four decades and portrays both real and fantastic scenes based upon the painters life and the coastal communities in which he lived. Stark etchings of surreal bird people mix with colourful monoprint reminders of his family. “Au Revoir” and “Celtic Lovers II” had particularly fascinating symbolism.
“… John Bellany, a descendant of generations of fishing folk, based much of his evocative and emotionally charged work on the experience of growing up in a small Scottish East Coast fishing community. Along the way he succeeded in creating a highly personal mythology, blending both fact and fiction and populating it with the tragic figures of fisher-folk, animals (both real and imaginary) and thinly disguised self-portraits. His work is richly allegorical and yet he convinced us to accept his dream-like world as real. Perhaps it was the absolute sincerity with which he rendered this inner vision that enables us to enter into the extraordinary world he created…” Alfons Bytautas RSA
John Bellany: A Memorial Tribute can also be seen displaying some of his paintings at The Scottish Gallery in Dundas Street between the 10 October and 2 November 2013.
“The skipper has gone, sailed on into an Eyemouth sunset, but his spirit remains and I only need to look into the eyes of the characters upon any of his vibrant canvases to know that the fire still blazes and will blaze on for many years to come.” Paul Bellany