A painting specially commissioned to commemorate the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which draw to a close this evening, has been unveiled by the Glasgow-based law firm and Games sponsor Harper Macleod.
The original board of the oil painting titled Greatness Begins Behind The Scenes, by art student Georgina Clapham, 20, was one of the scores of works that were damaged when a devastating fire ripped through the Mackintosh building of the Glasgow School of Art in May.
But Clapham made a second version of the painting, which is now hanging in Harper Macleod's headquarters in Gordon Street's Ca'd'Oro building, alongside other artworks from the law firm's extensive collection.
The painting depicts an athlete preparing and stretching against a backdrop of a Scottish landscape.
Clapham said: "I didn't want to make a sports portrait as such but create a subtler universal figure, with the idea that endurance and greatness come from within: the runner taking a moment of quiet contemplation to focus her mind."
Harper Macleod, one of Scotland's largest commercial law firms, won a competitive tender to become the Games' legal advisers in 2011 and has had six lawyers seconded to Glasgow 2014's in-house legal team.
The law firm also advised the Games' organising committee on a wide range of specialist areas such as brand protection, broadcasting, procurement and employment law. It also advised on construction contracts which saw venues such as Hampden Park transformed into an athletics arena for the event.
Harper Macleod chief executive Martin Darroch said: "We are extremely proud to have helped Scotland host what are already being considered as one of the greatest Games ever.
"Our dual role as legal advisers and sponsors has made Glasgow 2014 a unique client - there's no doubt that it's been a fantastic opportunity for our brand, but it's also been a legal challenge like no other.
"Not many firms get to advise on an event such as this, certainly not in Scotland, and the scale and scope of the Games, along with the tight timescales and immovable deadlines, have been a great test of our capabilities and ability to deliver."
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