Phlegethon

Artist John Duncan (Dundee, Scotland, 1866 - 1945)

Date1900-1924

Mediumtempera on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsHeight: 41 cm, Width: 61.4 cm
Frame Size: 56.1 x 76.7 x 5cm

AcquisitionBequeathed in 1958 by the Honourable Gertrude Forbes-Semphill.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003197

Keywords

About MeJohn Duncan found inspiration in myriad romantic sources - in Norse, Celtic and Classical mythology. He admired the solemnity and repose of the paintings of the English Pre-Raphaelites, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. He relished the refined, pure style of Byzantine art and the lightness and delicacy of Botticelli and Fra Angelico's paintings.

The subject, Phlegathon, the river of fire, is one of the five rivers of the Underworld in Greek Mythology. In using large expanses of single colour, Duncan creates an almost flat composition completely in keeping with the ideals of decorative art.

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Phlegathon, the river of fire, is one of the five rivers of the Underworld in Greek Mythology. In using large expanses of single colour, Duncan creates an almost flat composition.