It was back in July 2015 that I featured a painting done by famed Loch Ness Monster author, Constance Whyte. Well, another one has turned up on eBay entitled "Window on the Vatican". The seller states it is an attic find which suggests it has been hidden away from human eyes for perhaps a very long time.
Either way, it is yet another work highlighting her art skills. The back of the canvas has two texts, "Window on the Vatican, Constance Whyte, Clachnaharry, Inverness" and "Medical Art Society, 1957". The latter is written on a label from "James Bourlet & Sons" who are still in business today offering framing and restoration work.
I believe Constance was a doctor (GP) which would explain the link with the Medical Art Society which also exists to this day and features art by doctors, dentists and vets. She may have submitted this work in 1957 (around the time she published "More Than A Legend") to the Society for their consideration and eventually ended up in the attic of someone connected with them. However, the Andrew of the third text "To Andrew, August 1956", may have had more to do with that.
Which finally begs the question, did Mrs Whyte ever paint the Loch Ness Monster? Unlike her previous subjects, I doubt our favourite cryptid struck a prolonged pose for her to reproduce on canvas. Nevertheless, she did sketch various outlines of creatures according to eyewitness reports. One would have thought this a temptation to great for her to resist. Now that is a painting I would love to see. If you fancy bidding on the painting, the eBay link is here.
UPDATE
A commenter below asks a very good question, who painted the cover of Constance Whyte's very own book? As reproduced below one wonders what it is showing. I am asking if it is indeed a painting of Loch Ness as the distant channel between the two hills looks quite restricted for the loch. There are two water disturbances in the foreground that may or may not have been added for monster effect. So what it shows is not entirely clear, but it could have been painted by Constance.
A look inside the book says "Jacket design by BIRO" and there is a small "biro" signature in the bottom right of the front cover. Who is BIRO one may ask? Is it Constance Whyte or someone else? Examining the various acknowledgements in the book makes no mention of the picture's painter which may suggest it was done by the author. So a little mystery within a mystery to conclude this article.
The author can be contacted at lochnesskelpie@gmail.com
Here's a direct question: Is it known whom painted the cover for Constance White's book? It has similar painting production values as this painting you show here that she did.
ReplyDeleteA very good question, to which I have added an update in the article!
Delete'Biro' is the Hungarian artist and designer Val Biro, who specialised in book jackets. He died in 2014 aged 92 – there was a good obituary of him in the Guardian – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/29/val-biro
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that he used art work supplied by Constance Whyte, but it seems more likely that he painted it himself – which would explain why the picture bears only a generic resemblance to Loch Ness!
Ah, thank you!
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