The Children of Lir 1914

John Duncan made this watercolour, The Children of Lir, sometime in his career, using dreamy strokes of colour and a circular frame to tell this Irish legend. I am thinking about the way Duncan built up these layers of thin watercolour washes. See how the figures emerge ethereally from a misty scene. It’s amazing, the whole painting is an exercise in light and soft edges. I imagine he was thinking about the emotional resonance of colour, using blues and creams to create this otherworldly atmosphere. It reminds me of other symbolist painters who were reaching beyond realism to access deeper realms of experience through mythical narratives. The painting becomes a site for imaginative exploration. Duncan might have been exploring themes of transformation, exile, and resilience – all central to the story of The Children of Lir, turned into swans. That’s what I love about painting. It’s like artists throughout time are riffing off one another’s ideas, remixing and reimagining the possibilities of this medium. And it embraces all the feelings! It's open-ended and invites us to bring our own interpretations.