YouTube films – The NEN – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

YouTube films – The NEN  The NEN – North Edinburgh News

First in a new series of YouTube films by National Galleries of Scotland, artist Ken Currie and forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black reunite to reflect on the story behind the haunting portrait Unknown Man. From Currie witnessing his first dissection with Black and making life masks together, to the matter of who the real subject of the portrait actually is, the film lifts the lid on the relationship between sitter and artist. Portrait Stories brings together remarkable sitters and artists for an in-depth conversation about the creative process. The first film starring Ken Currie and Professor Dame Sue Black, is available to watch now on YouTube for free. Having met for the first time during a live broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on a show called Art and Anatomy, Black invited Currie to come see his first dissection to understand how she worked.

Out of the experience emerged the nearly 3 metre painting, Unknown Man, on display at the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait in Edinburgh for free. Recalling her first encounter with the portrait Black said: “I didn’t know how I was going to react, but I did tear up, there was no doubting that. I looked at it and I thought oh my word, this is incredible.” In the early 1990s, Scottish artist, Ken Currie was much affected