About this artwork
Symbolism played an important role in Bellany’s work. This etching belongs to a series of portraits Bellany made that return to the imagery of Port Seton and the sea. Many of them are linked to his second wife, Juliet, and her death in 1985. Here, a nude woman, possibly Juliet, is depicted wearing a cat-mask. However, her human eyes engage with the beady eyes of the eagle, claws-bared.
Updated before 2020
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artist:John Bellany (1942 - 2013) Scottish
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title:Bonjour
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date created:Dated 1986
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materials:Etching on paper (2/50)
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measurements:33.00 x 49.00 cm (paper 50.00 x 65.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1986
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accession number:GMA 3001
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gallery:
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subject:
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John Bellany
John Bellany
Bellany was born in the fishing village of Port Seton, near Edinburgh. He studied at Edinburgh College of Art and at the Royal College of Art, London. His work of the 1960s and 1970s dealt with original sin, guilt, sex and death. His characteristic paintings are large compositions featuring his own...
