Lines and Colors art blog

Eye Candy for Today: David Wilkie’s Letter of Introduction

The Letter of Introduction, David Wilkie
The Letter of Introduction, David Wilkie

Link is to Google Art Project; high-resolution downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons; original is in the National Galleries of Scotland.

Wilkie gives us a scene supposedly referenced from his own experience, as a young man presents what is evidently an insufficient letter of introduction to a disdainful older man. The inference from the desk and the decorative Japanese jar is that the older gentleman is not only wealthy, but a collector, and the young man an artist.

Oddly, the faces seem to have received almost cursory treatment compared to the level of focus Wilkie has brought to the jar, cabinet, and other objects in the room — particularly the desk and its contents. Even the dog seems more attentively rendered than the young man.

Ostensibly a genre scene, this is to me more of an interior with figures. The desk and it’s array of papers, books, inkwells and qill, along with the deftly rendered jar, are a marvel of still life.

The Letter of Introduction, Google Art Project

Comments

4 responses to “Eye Candy for Today: David Wilkie’s Letter of Introduction”

  1. hilde van den abeele Avatar
    hilde van den abeele

    I discovered linesandcolors a few days ago .IT is such an interesting and beautiful blog , an ocean of beauty to explore thanks to the many links . I just want to thank you for so much ‘rigeur’ and professionalism that you want to share with us so we can enjoy the comfort of the world of art.

    1. Thank you, hilde. I do attempt to “do my homework” and convey correct information as much as possible while introducing people to some artists they may not be familiar with. I’m glad that effort is appreciated.

  2. This might be strange, but I love those walls.