The Blue Pool

Artist Augustus Edwin John (Tenby, Wales, 1878 - 1961)

Date1911

Mediumoil on panel

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsHeight: 30.2 cm, Width: 50.5 cm
Frame Size: 52.5 x 73.1 x 6cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1927 with income from the Macdonald Bequest.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003055

Keywords

About MeAugustus John was a leading figure in the British art scene prior to the First World War. He gained a reputation as a rebel within the art establishment and led a bohemian lifestyle, enjoying an extended family of women and children who often served as his models.

In 'The Blue Pool' the model is Dorothy McNeill, who became John's lifelong companion and his major inspiration. The setting for the scene is one of Dorset's beauty spots, where a lake occupies the site of an old clay pit. John has truthfully rendered the vividness of the turquoise water - the brilliant colour being caused by the diffraction of light from clay particles suspended in the lake.

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Super colour and contrast in this picture of an old clay pit and lake in Dorset. The model is Dorothy McNeill, John's lifelong companion; what do you think she is thinking about?