Angus Og 1908

John Duncan painted this image of Angus Og with what looks like oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are soft and hazy and there's a muted quality to the colours, making it feel quite dreamlike. I wonder, what was Duncan thinking when he painted this? The figure stands barefoot on a stony outcrop, looking up to the heavens with his hands outstretched. The light shimmers behind him, accentuating his delicate wings. The paint is applied thinly, almost like a watercolour, which adds to the ethereal atmosphere. The colours are muted, with blues, creams, and earthy tones creating a sense of harmony. You can see how he's built the image up in layers, allowing the colours to blend softly into one another. I think he must have been looking at painters like Burne-Jones. Artists are always having a conversation, looking at each other's work and responding, and this feels like part of that ongoing exchange. Painting is such an embodied form of expression, full of ambiguity and uncertainty. There are so many ways to interpret this image, and each one is valid.