MacDonald
probably 1928
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and black ink and watercolor on heavy laid paper
Dimensions
overall (approximate): 41.6 x 27 cm (16 3/8 x 10 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.6069
Art Historical Context
James McBey's *MacDonald*, likely created around 1928 is a captivating drawing executed in pen and black ink with watercolor on heavy laid paper Measuring approximately 41.6 x 27 cm, this intimate work exemplifies the Scottish artist's mastery of mixed media during the interwar period. McBey, renowned for his etchings, portraits, and landscapes, often favored such techniques to achieve fluid, expressive lines and subtle tonal washes, evoking a sense of immediacy and personality. The use of heavy laid paper—a traditional support with visible chain lines—underscores the piece's artisanal qualit...
About the Artist
James McBey
James McBey (1883–1959) was a Scottish artist renowned for his etchings and paintings, emerging from humble beginnings in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, as the illegitimate son of a blacksmith's daughter. Largely self-taught, he left school at fifteen to work as a bank clerk in Aberdeen, where he devoured art books from the public library and attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art to hone his ...