RSA Scottish Art
Gingerbread Jock
 | Artist: John Kay |
| Title: Gingerbread Jock | |
| Year: 1783 | |
| Medium: watercolour on paper | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| Description: John Kay was born in Dalkeith, the son of a stonemason. He started up as a barber in Edinburgh but devoted much time to making sketches, little etchings and portrait miniatures. The inhabitants of Edinburgh, all types and classes, were used as subject matter for these artworks. In 1837 a catalogue of 356 etchings was published called A Series of Original Portraits and Caricature Etchings. It opens a window onto everyday life in Edinburgh in the 18th century.This watercolour is inscribed John Duncan Commonly Called Gingerbread Jock, A Poor Beggar. It is painted in a miniaturist's technique, using a tiny brush and masses of minute, vertical brushstrokes to build up layers of colour and produce a carefully worked finish. The pose is a simple, frontal view that Kay sometimes used instead of a profile, which he preferred for silhouettes and cameos.The figure of Gingerbread Jock is shown against a dark background and in sombre tones and a limited palette. The image appears quite claustrophobic, since there is no horizon or sense of openness. There are no other features to distract the viewer's eye, which concentrates attention solely on the bedraggled beggar.John Kay has provided a valuable insight into life in Edinburgh at this time. But what about the people who live around you today? How would you make a visual image of the people in your area? Would you use drawing, painting, photography, collage or a combination of techniques? What qualities would it be important to show and what kind of people do you think it would be important to depict? The list is endless. | |
Find us on