Portrait of a Man Smoking
About this artwork
This portrait was painted in 1945, when Bet Low was just 21 years old, and still at Glasgow School of Art. The sitter is Billy Higgins, a Glasgow ‘character’ (variously recalled as a dancer, a businessman, a cook and a small-time con-man) who became friendly with Low and her then boyfriend, also a student at the School of Art. Higgins posed one day for both artists, and Low recalled that she painted this work very quickly. The painting was mentioned in an article in a Glasgow newspaper the following year, and the reporter noted: 'B. Low is a young modern painter of Glasgow, who in this portrait tries to give an impression of a man thinking, and who is not afraid to modify the forms of reality to produce the strongest expression possible'.
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:Portrait of a Man Smoking
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date created:1945
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:107.20 x 61.40 cm; Framed: 120.00 x 74.20 x 4.90 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Dr Angus Gibson Gift, 2002
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accession number:GMA 4493
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gallery:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Bet Low
Bet Low
Low was born in Gourock and in 1942 enrolled at Glasgow School of Art. She went on to study at Hospitalfield Summer School in Arbroath before attending Teacher Training College. However, teaching failed to inspire her and by chance, she met the young comedian Stanley Baxter who introduced her to...