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Self Portrait with Sun Hat

© The Ruth Borchard Collection. Image credit: Ruth Borchard Collection

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The self portrait is a subtle yet exuberant picture, infused with joie de vivre and mischievous humour. The hat he is wearing is an extraordinary, almost architectonic, creation. Beneath its dazzling rounded top, spreading tones of pink, mauve, green and blue suggest the shadows it casts. His one visible eye gives an astute, benign, humorous look. His features are a fiery mix of orange, red and yellow, with some green. But at a distance they do harmoniously cohere – the strong nose, the sensuous lips, the bearded chin all coming distinctly into focus. At school, Thomson had endured a rugby accident, which led to the amputation of his leg. For the rest of his life he was to suffer recurrent pain and inconvenience. In 1941 he went to Glasgow School of Art.

The Ruth Borchard Collection

Title

Self Portrait with Sun Hat

Date

c.1964

Medium

oil on board

Measurements

H 51 x W 64 cm

Accession number

PCF117

Acquisition method

acquired by Ruth Borchard as part of the original collection

Work type

Painting

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The Ruth Borchard Collection

Greater London England

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