Compass Gallery

Portraits of the Poet: Robert Burns

‘I first exhibited work inspired by Robert Burns in 1986, and then for the Mitchell Library in 1990 and most recently, at Compass Gallery, for the 250th Anniversary of the Poet’s birth, 2009. As I made this work, I became more and more interested in the complex person revealed by extraordinary range of ideas and feelings explored in the poems, and consequently, began to read biographies and letters. In looking at the few (but varied) life portraits we have of Burns (visual & verbal descriptions), I began to question whether the extant visual portraits reflect the enormous complexity of his character, interests and changing life circumstances. The sculptures and drawings are conjectured portraits of Burns, from the age of about 4 or 5 years of age to his death bed, including his early teens, twenties and thirties. They refer to times of happiness, depression and illness as well as ideas and images about his views on politics, poetry and religion. I hope there will be humour as well as pathos in these works and that as a related series, will help to broaden the perhaps narrow perception we currently have of Burns through the visual language of art, in the way that contemporary research and biographies are doing in print’. Peter Bevan – Portraits of the Poet, January 2010

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Compass Gallery, 178 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 4RL
Tel : 0141-221 6370
Fax : 0141 248 1322
Email : compass@gerberfineart.co.uk