Portraits

I took Luke back to Edinburgh today and we drove through a winter wonderland of snowy trees and hills on the way.

While he unpacked, I went along to the Portrait Gallery. There were two excellent exhibitions on - "Head to Head" - sculptured heads from ancient times to present day - and the BP Portrait Award. 

I've only recently come to appreciate sculpture properly and this exhibition showcased all different kinds of materials and methods. It was also good for photographic practice. The photo shows Kenny hunter's bust of Jimmy Reid:

Hunter's tribute to this famous trade-union activist wittily subverts our usual expectations of the dignified portrait bust. Made of bright red fibre-glass, not white marble, and placed on an ordinary table rather than a grand plinth, Jimmy Reid is larger than life than life and distinctly anti-establishment. Reid worked in the Clyde shipyards in his native Glasgow and helped lead the famous work-in of 1971.


The extra is Jean Muir by Glenys Barton.


The BP exhibition had some really excellent entries. Not sure I agreed with the judges though...