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Les Moulières, Villerville
Les Moulières, Villerville

Les Moulières, Villerville

Artist (Bradford, England, 1847 - 1922)
Datec. 1902
Mediumoil on canvas
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 142.5 cm, Width: 97.1 cm
Frame: Height: 187.6 cm, Width: 141.8 cm
AcquisitionPresented in 1910 by Sir James Murray.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationOn Display - Gallery 10
Object numberABDAG002849
Other Titles
  • The Mussel Gatherers
About MeRobert McGregor studied in Edinburgh and for many years found his inspiration in the Scottish fields. Later in his career he was inspired by visits to northern France. The location of this scene is a small Normandy fishing port, Villerville, which lies between Trouville and Honfleur.

Here the faces of the three figures are lit in a symbolic way - the child coming towards the light source, the mother in full light, the grandmother turned from it in part profile, her weathered features almost completely obscured. What might otherwise have been a simple Realist painting is transformed by McGregor into a metaphor for womanhood and the transient nature of life.

Adopted by Frances Carey.

To find out how to 'Adopt an Artwork' please email AAGMSupport-Us@aberdeencity.gov.uk
More About Me
In Dublin's fair city / Where the girls are so pretty / I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone / As she wheeled her wheelbarrow / Through the streets broad and narrow / Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"
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