Artist reflects on facing mortality

Arts Correspondent

Saturday 10 November 2012

One of Scotland's greatest painters, John Bellany, has spoken of the daunting task of facing mortality, his forthcoming landmark exhibition – and a new self-portrait which defines him at the age of 70.

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Phil Miller Arts Correspondent

In a revealing interview in today's Herald Magazine, Bellany – known for his powerful depictions of the sea – says he feels that he is currently in a "netherworld between life and death."

More than 20 years on from a liver transplant, the painter, whose retrospective exhibition John Bellany: A Passion for Life, opens at the National Galleries of Scotland on November 17, is still painting in earnest every day even though he is suffering from a variety of ailments and is currently recovering from what he calls a six-year depression.

A new self portrait in the exhibition, he says, sums up his thoughts about turning 70 and still existing as a working artist."It's like one of Rembrandt's last paintings," he says, "It's about approaching the Almighty – really you are in that netherworld between life and death when you are 70."Last night, John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "John Bellany is a key figure in the history of modern art in this country and we are very proud to pay homage to his outstanding achievement with a major show at the National Galleries of Scotland."

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Artist reflects on facing mortality

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