I have that book, Brian, and very good it is.
I love the portrait of Barrie. When asked to pose for some quick sketches he said “well, my brain hasn’t talked to my face for years”. I don’t think he enjoyed the experience. I’ve been in his house in Kirriemuir, now a museum (not because I visited it
). His other literary efforts are well worth a read.
I love taking pictures of auld Octavious Hill, who clearly saw himself as some kind of Greek God, and this picture does help bring out his inner Zeus!
Hugh Millar was part pioneering geologist, part religious bigot, and my interest in him lies in that inner struggle where science was telling him one thing, his religion another. I think this image brings out a little of that.
The Stevenson image is so familiar, a face you’ll see in many a Scottish pub, erudite, politically and artistically aware, confident, and with a slight hint of menace.
The two Scott images reveal contrasting facets of his personality. The statue shows an affable man, happy holding forth in company of fellow solicitors over a bevvy, while the painting shows his vulnerabilities, inner demons, and oft-hidden sadness.
It has been enjoyable to reinterpret the artists’ interpretations.
Q2M
