James Bell Anderson RSA, Portrait Of A Seated Gentleman

James Bell Anderson RSA, Portrait Of A Seated GentlemanThis early 20th century portrait by Scottish artist James Bell Anderson (1886 1938) depicts a seated gentleman wearing a dark grey three piece suit and white shirt. Anderson made his name in the West of Scotland, particularly in Glasgow, where, as a specialist portrait painter, he undertook numerous commissions for local dignitaries. His approach was one which blended both style and substance. His sitters carry a dignified air yet also convey a sense

In one such meeting place

But perhaps the most striking inclusion is the bold pop of red radiating from the lady in the foreground

An exquisite mid-19th-century portrait of a lady in a black dress by Austrian painter

Is she symbolic of a woman trapped within the confines of an unhappy marriage

gathering inspiration from the daily activities of her creative counterparts

Over the course of his career

local people in rustic cluttered interiors

Overall size 29” x 21” / 74cm x 53cm

A critic remarked that it possessed ‘pure and powerful colour’ and was ‘brilliant work’

Rarely was drawing considered as such as most felt it should be either left to the professionals or kept within amateur sketchbooks

Several lost their lives here

Minor paint loss in the top left