John Bellany RA, Self-portrait of John Bellany, R.A., 1966.
Oil on board. 1210 mm x 910 mm x 24 mm. © John Bellany RA. Photo: John Hammond.
This image is not available to download. To licence this image for commercial purposes, contact our Picture Library at picturelibrary@royalacademy.org.uk
Self-portrait of John Bellany, R.A., 1966
John Bellany RA (1942 - 2013)
RA Collection: Art
Two great forces have influenced and preoccupied Bellany throughout his life. The first is the sea, and the second is religion. Being born into a family of fishermen and boat builders and brought up as a strict Calvinist in the village of Port Seton, near Edinburgh have both had a profound effect on Bellany's art, not only in terms of subject matter but also as a constant reminder of the frailty of human existence. This early self-portrait, which dates from Bellany's student days at the Royal College of Art, already includes references to these two great preoccupations of his life, namely in the distant seagulls circling behind his head and the crucifix hanging around his neck. Carel Weight, who owned this portrait, was head of the Painting School at the Royal College of Art at the time Bellany was a student there.
Object details
1210 mm x 910 mm x 24 mm
Start exploring the RA Collection
- Explore art works, paint-smeared palettes, scribbled letters and more...
- Artists and architects have run the RA for 250 years.
Our Collection is a record of them.
Related articles
-
![Kwang Young Chun, Aggregation 13-NV045 RED (detail)]()
RA Recommends
< 4 years ago
Highlights from Edinburgh Art Festival 2015
This week we guide you through some of the highlights from the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art.
-
![Sean Scully RA, Kind of Red]()
RA Recommends
5 years ago
Our pick of this week’s art events: 13 - 20 June
From figurative sculpture at the Hayward Gallery to jazz-influenced canvases by painter Sean Scully RA.
-
![Bob and Roberta Smith RA in front of his work 'Interview with David Nott by Eddie Mair']()
Artists
5 years ago
Bob and Roberta Smith’s guide to the Summer Exhibition
Art now is more popular than it ever has been. We are in an era where art is at the centre of a public conversation about who we are, and where we want to go.
-
![Sir Frank Brangwyn RA, Sunflowers]()
Our Collection
3 days ago
How to read it: Frank Brangwyn’s ‘Sunflowers’
Frank Brangwyn’s ‘Sunflowers’ is an explosion of colour that captures the vibrancy of a much-loved plant. But did Brangwyn copy Van Gogh? And why sunflowers, anyway?
