Add a red balloon & this could be a Banksy stencil. Rather, it's a 1920s painting by Norah Neilson Gray of the Glasgow School. At first glance this Mother & Child has an air of over-sentimentality. Working down the painting, past the picture-postcard faces, the figures start to meld into a mass of shadow. Where one body starts & the other ends becomes indecipherable. Is Gray touching on the journey of parenthood or more precisely motherhood, at a time where women were defined by little else?
Although Glasgow developed as an important centre for the avant-garde in Europe from 1880s-1920s, the work of women in the Glasgow School was completely overlooked. That was until an exhibition at the Kelvingrove Museum in the 1990s totally redressed the gender imbalance & raised awareness of women's contribution to the Glasgow Style.
Gray painted women & children throughout her life. This wholesome subject matter was likely to have been considered a safe domain for a woman artist of the early 20th century. Yet, through stylistic choices in her art, Gray made deeper assertions. The limited palette & vibrant yellow gold resembles a 7th century byzantian icon, elevating a mother's work into something almost holy. 📸 National Galleries Scotland.
For our art pairing, I have chosen our 1834 MacLeod. As Gray demonstrates, the combination of yellow & black brings a fresh, bold take on the traditional Mother / Child theme. We love our 1834 MacLeod tartan for its similar, attention-grabbing aesthetic.
SPRING MUSINGS | No matter the current trends, yellow will always be such a joy to wear in Spring. Here's our April style board, adding a touch of British romance to our styling as we move into these warmer months.