Artists & Illustrators - UK (2019-12)

MARY CAMERON Plaza

de Toros, Madrid, 1908

ART IN FOCUS

WHOWASMARYCAMERON?

Fora womanbornin1865,thelifeof

MaryCameronwasa progressiveone.

Shefirstbrokethemouldforginga

careerforherselfasa portraitistand

genrepainterinhernativeEdinburgh,

beforetravellingtoParistostudy.

In1900,CameronheadedtoMadrid

tocopyVelázquezpaintingsinthePrado,

andbecamecaptivatedbytheSpanish

culture,landscapeandpeople– notto

mentionthedramaticbullfights.

WHATISTHEPAINTINGABOUT?

PlazadeToros,Madridwaspainted

sometimebetween 1900 and 1908 and

focusesonthefirstactofa bullfight.

CameronspokefluentSpanishwhich

enabledhertogainaccesstoareasof

thebullringwhichwouldusuallybeoutof

boundstovisitors.Shesketchedfrom

life,headingintotheringwithhereasel

todrawbetweenfights.Shewouldalso

takereferencephotosfromwhichshe

wouldincorporateparticularfiguresor

takeentirecompositionalarrangements

forherpaintingstobringa senseof

immediacytoherworks.

WHYDIDSHEPAINTIT?

Cameronwasa passionateanimal

loverandhada particularfondness

forhorses,havingmadea namefor

herselfasequestrianpainterwhilestill

inBritain.Attendingthebullfights

shockedtheartist,asshewashorrified

bytreatmentoftheanimals,andyetstill

fascinatedbythetraditionand

spectacle.

WHYISITSIGNIFICANT?

Cameron’sexperiencesprompteda

majorseriesofpaintingsofwhichPlaza

deToros,Madridis themoststriking.

Herpainting’sexpressa greatdealof

sympathyfortheanimalsinvolvedand

shewasunflinchinginherportrayalof

bullfighting’sbrutality.Whenthe

paintingsweredisplayedinBritain,they

provokedmixedreactionsinthepress.

Someapplaudedherfranknesswhile

otherswerehorrifiedbytheviolent

natureoftheworks,particularlybecause

theywerepaintedbya woman.

WHATDOTHEEXPERTSSAY?

Edinburgh’sCityArtCentrecurator

DrHelenE Scott:“MaryCameronmoved

arounda lotintermsofsubjectmatter,

goingthroughphasesofpaintingfrom

historicalbattlefieldscenestoportraits,

throughtohorse-racingscenes,all

beforeshewenttoSpain.

“Hereshestartedwithpaintingthe

bullringandlatermovedontopainting

traditionalpeasantlife.Shewantedto

interrogateeachsubjectandshespent

muchtimereturningtofamiliarise

herselfwithhersubject.”

MaryCameron:Lifein Paintrunsfrom

2 Novemberto 15 March 2020 atCityArt

Centre,Edinburgh.HelenE Scott’sbook

toaccompanytheexhibitionwillbe

publishedbySansom& Co.

http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk,

http://www.sansomandcompany.co.uk

SALLY CAMERON COLLECTION. PHOTO: EION JOHNSTON

RACHAEL FUNNELL shares the story behind this dramatic Spanish painting

created by one of Scotland’s forgotten 20th-century masters

LEFT Mary Cameron, Plaza de

Toros, Madrid, before 1908,

oil on canvas, 75x63cm