James McBey
Gerald Leslie Brockhurst British
Sitter James McBey British
Not on view
In 1931 Brockhurst met McBey at a London dinner party and persuaded his fellow artist to sit for a portrait (Albert H. Wiggin Collection, Boston Public Library). The Scottish-born McBey had served as an Official War Artist in the Middle East during World War I then continued to achieve success as a painter and etcher. The year this portrait was made he married the American artist-photographer Marguerite Loeb and began traveling regularly between London, New York and Tangiers. The print establishes a strong tonal divide in the background and uses the edge of a brightly lit wall to enhance the figure's three-dimensionality–the light area at right was made by leaving a significant portion of the plate unetched. As a whole, the composition conveys McBey's strong personality.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.