RSA Scottish Art
Sir George Reid, President of the RSA
 | Artist: James Pittendrigh Macgillivray |
| Title: Sir George Reid, President of the RSA | |
| Year: c. 1894 | |
| Medium: bronze | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| Description: James Pittendrigh Macgillivray was a sculptor, painter, printmaker and poet who was associated with the Glasgow Boys. The model for this sculpture, Sir George Reid (1841-1913), was a painter from Aberdeen who served as President of the Royal Scottish Academy from 1891 to 1902. Although this bust is a portrait of a figure in authority, the sculptor has presented Reid open-shirted and dishevelled - as a romantic hero. Macgillivray's handling of the clay, from which this piece was originally cast, is rough and energetic, and it shows the influence of French sculptor Auguste Rodin.This roughness gives the piece a natural quality, like a piece of driftwood or an eroded stone. The face seems thoughtful and possibly a little sad, with heavy-lidded eyes and a coarse beard. The inclination of the head to the neck also adds an air of melancholy to the piece. The overall sense of the piece is dignified and calm.The clay model was cast in bronze which can be finished with a patina. The patina adds colour and texture; in this case it is dark and shiny.The highly polished surface creates very prominent highlights. Some of these highlights help to define the features, such as the nose, while others are abstract and unpredictable like those on the forehead. As the viewer moves around the piece, the highlights would shift and change almost like the flickering of a flame. The deep shadows in the folds of the shirt are very tactile, and the broken edges of the piece emphasise the chunky outline of the sculpture.When we see this impression of Reid, we think about his character and not the job he was known for. How would you like to be remembered? | |
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