Research Catalog

Title

Rory McEwen : the colours of reality / edited by Martin Rix.

Publication

Richmond, Surrey, UK : Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2013.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Rix, Martyn
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, host institution.

Description

224 pages : illustrations (some color), portraits; 29 cm

Summary

"Rory McEwen strummed his way onto the Ed Sullivan show, sat in on a sitar session with George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, and was a leader in the post-war folksong revival. Yet arguably his greatest legacy was not in the field of music—a talented, precise artist, McEwen revolutionized the field of botanical art. Inspired by the old masters throughout his childhood training in art, McEwen developed a distinctive style of botanical illustration. He approached each portrait with scientific precision, capturing the individual contours of each plant instead of offering up an unrealistic ideal. Drawn on plain backgrounds without shadows, often on unadorned vellum, the resulting paintings are extraordinarily realistic, as if a rose-colored petal or sharp green leaf were suspended on the canvas, ready to be touched. McEwen was a master at balancing technical accuracy and artistic flair, without ever compromising one for the other. Rory McEwen The Colours of Reality brings together over one hundred of his illustrations in a collection that celebrates McEwen’s art and artistic ability. Full-color artwork is featured alongside essays that explore his botanical work, his influence on fellow artists, and his other talents for music, poetry, and sculpture. It is a lavish tribute and the first major collection of McEwen’s work in decades. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Rory McEwen The Colours of Reality will delight old fans while drawing in many new ones."--

Alternative Title

• Colours of reality
• Colors of reality

Subject

• McEwen, Rory
• McEwen, Rory > Criticism and interpretation
• Botanical illustration
• Artists > Great Britain
• Folk singers > Great Britain

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Note

• "Rory McEwen The Colours of Reality will present the vibrant and varied career of the renowned Scottish artist and musician, Rory McEwen (1932–1982). Focussing on his remarkable paintings of plants, the exhibition will reveal McEwen’s lifelong enquiry into light and colour. This is the first time these works will have been presented to the public since a 1988 Serpentine Gallery exhibition."--Publisher's website.
• "[T]he publication presents 150 stunning illustrations of Rory McEwen’s botanical works. His floral subjects are featured alongside essays from figures in the botanical art world and those who knew him, such as [Martyn] Rix, James Fox, Richard Demarco and Dr Shirley Sherwood. The essays cover McEwen’s botanical work, his aptitudes for music, poetry and sculpture, and his influence on, and friendships with, fellow artists and musicians."--Publisher's website
• Published to accompany the exhibition of the same name held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, London, 2013.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (page 223) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Foreword / by Grey Gowrie -- Rory McEwen : his life and music / by James Fox -- Rory McEwen and the avant-garde in Europe / by Richard Demarco -- Rory McEwen as a botanical painter / by Martyn Rix -- Rory McEwen's legacy and lasting influence / by Shirley Sherwood -- Notes on the McEwen paintings.

ISBN

• 9781842464878 (hbk.)
• 1842464876 (hbk.)
• 1842464663 (pbk.)
• 9781842464663 (pbk.)

OCLC

• 825559652
• SCSB-10315489

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library