Peter Howson, the leading Scottish painter, has spoken of his delight at the unprecedented collaboration between himself and The Herald, which will this week offer one of his original paintings as a prize in a competition to celebrate the Inspired exhibition of art linked with Robert Burns in Glasgow's Mitchell Library.
The image, an enigmatic portrait of Burns with his star blazing in the background night sky, will be the prize in the competition to be launched this Saturday.
He also spoke of his pleasure that another of his new Burns works, a more conventional portrait of the poet, will this Friday be given away as a print in every copy of the newspaper.
The two images come from the collection of more than two dozen that he created for the Inspired exhibition, which opens on Saturday, April 4, and brings together nearly 50 artists inspired by Scotland's national poet.
"Art isn't mine once I have painted it, I have always given paintings to people," Mr Howson said.
"I am delighted so many people will be able to enjoy this painting."
Inspired, curated by Sheilagh Tennant, is hosted at the library as part of Homecoming Scotland 2009.
The artworks, including pieces by artists such as Tracey Emin and the Chapman brothers, alongside Scottish artists such as Douglas Gordon, David Mach, John Byrne, Howson, Roddy Buchanan, John Bellany and Calum Colvin, will be displayed alongside a series of relics related to the Bard's life and work.
The exhibition, of which The Herald is the media partner, will run from April 4 until September 20.
The Burns collection at the Mitchell has more than 4000 items related to the poet, including two copies of the Kilmarnock Edition (1786), containing his first collection of poems, and two printings of the Edinburgh and London editions (1787).
Both Howson images being made available to readers this week were part of approximately 25 sketches and paintings that Mr Howson, who grew up in Ayrshire and now works in Glasgow, painted after being commissioned for the exhibition.
Mr Howson has studied the works and words of the poet, although he has never read any biography of him, believing he has learned about the man through his art rather than history books.
"I feel I have an intuitive knowledge of him, rather than the actual details of his life.
"I am not much interested in the details of his lovers, his family. It has always been the poetry for me, the art," he said.
"And of course, then you cannot separate the art from the man. A lot of people have a sentimental view of Burns, the biscuit tin' view, that he was one for the ladies and a bit of a boy.
"But in reality he caused mayhem, he fathered children, he was very ambitious and sometimes even quite devious."
He added: "But Burns was also kind, generous and full of wonder and the joy of life. He was able to access the whole universe of the imagination."
Mr Howson, who has rediscovered his Christian faith in recent years, said that Burns was a believer who hated hypocrisy.
"He had a faith, but not of the idea of the Calvinist elect, an idea he hated, and he was not religious in the conventional sense - but who would be in those days? The church was something that monitored your behaviour," he said.
"But he loved women with a passion, a passion that was spread far too liberally, and far too often."
Ms Tennant said: "Peter's contribution to the exhibition is significant, and people will be able to see the influence that Burns has had on Peter at the exhibition when it opens this week.
"One of his paintings is particularly powerful - he has captured Burns in a moment of inspiration and it is a magical painting."
An explicit work celebrating Burns by controversial modern artist Tracey Emin will be displayed also as part of Inspired.
Ms Emin donated Sweet Thing, a monoprint, measuring only 6in x 4in, of a roughly drawn bird perched on a penis. The print was created in 1994, but was kept from public sight until now.
Ms Emin said she was inspired by one of Burns's most notorious songs, Nine Inches Will Please A Lady, from his The Merry Muses Of Caledonia, a collection of verse so bawdy and outrageous that it was banned in the UK until 1965.
Lawyers said that even though obscenity laws still existed regarding the public display of the more intimate parts of the male body, the suggestion that Ms Emin's print could befall the same fate as the original songs was ill founded.
Experts have defended Ms Emin's print too. Dr Alistair Rider, of St Andrews University's School of Art History, said: "People who think that Tracey Emin's print of a bird perched on a phallus is morally repugnant should get out more.
"In fact, if anyone thinks that Emin's print is obscene, then they would be well advised to give Robert Burns an extremely wide berth."
Inspired is part of the national Homecoming Scotland celebrations and is funded by Culture and Sport Glasgow, Homecoming Scotland 2009, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and City Refrigeration.
