About this artwork
John Bellany used his immediate surroundings and his own experiences as raw material for his art. Portraits, especially self-portraits, were central to his work. Bellany's portraits are vibrant and visual statements, rather than close likenesses. After undergoing liver transplant surgery in 1988, Bellany produced a series of extremely personal self-portraits charting the course of his hospitalisation and recovery. In his works, Bellany used his own symbolic language, often taken from the sea or from religion. Animals also appear in this system of symbols; fish, owls, monkeys and, as in this case, a dog.
Updated before 2020
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artist:John Bellany (1942 - 2013) Scottish
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title:Untitled (Self-Portrait with Dog)
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date created:Dated 1971
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materials:Etching on paper (15/25)
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measurements:26.50 x 23.60 cm (paper size: 65.00 x 50.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1986
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accession number:GMA 2992
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gallery:
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subject:
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...