Bourne Fine Art
Address Dundas Street
Reviewers JoyLiz

Marie R - Many Images of a Queen An Exhibition by Leading Scottish, English and French Artists and Sculptors of Mary Queen of Scots

It is interesting to see artists' varied interpretations of the almost legendry, Mary Queen of Scots, some familiar and some totally unrecognisable. John Bellany characteristically hits you in the face. The symbolism is powerful. He shows Queen Mary, complete with trademark fish eyes, with a bearded man (Boswell perhaps?) wearing what looks like his vest, standing on her left, and a lady courtier on her right. In the background is a priest and various symbolic birds and animals. The various stages in her life? Symbolism recurs in many of the paintings. Lys Hansen's unusual painting, "In my End is the Beginning" depicts the Queen as a decapitated body carrying an oversized head. Georgia Boyd Russell's "Daughter of Debate" tackles the Mary myth from a different angle. Mary appears as a black-and-white computerised image, surrounded by what appears to be carefully arranged shredded paper, sandwiched between two layers of glass. The effect is dramatic. Marj Bond's arresting portrait shows the Queen having a bad hair day! Almost geometrical rectangular in shape her flame-coloured hair sits round the top end of her long thin face, and a huge ruff surrounds the rest. There isn't enough space to do justice to all the paintings, varied collection of sculptures of different sizes and ceramics. You'll just have to see it yourself.

Exhibition continues until Sat.26th August

Mon - Fri. l0-6 Sat. 11-2.

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