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Colin Middleton RHA RUA (1910-1983)
Thisbe (1950)
Oil on canvas, 24.5 x 35cm (9¾ x 13¾”)
Signed; signed, inscribed with title and dated Sept/Oct 1950 verso
Provenance: Tooth Gallery, London, (Gallery label verso)
While Colin Middleton’s titles in his paintings of the post-war period often contained Biblical allusions, as well as occa-
sionally referring to songs and poems,
Thisbe
is unusual in its link to classical literature.The emotional nature of the story
of Thisbe does, however, connect strongly with the mood of much of Middleton’s greatest work of this time, influenced
both by specific local mythology as well as the broader mood in Europe at this time.
The circus or fairground in the background is also an unusual theme for Middleton and it is immediately reminiscent of
Jack Yeats, whose work he must have known from Victor Waddington’s gallery, as well as another gallery artist, Nevill
Johnson, whose paintings of circus subjects such as ‘The Family’express a similar sense of both excitement and alienation
as Middleton achieves here.
Transposed into the modern world, the title suggests a narrative that might well only be intended to create a more am-
biguous mood; many of the single figure paintings of this time, such as ‘Hallowe’en’, a highly comparable painting from
the same year as the present work, present a girl in a heightened state of being and in a world of great intensity, often
surrounded by the darkness of night but shot through with dynamic colour.The expressive use of colour against the rich
blues and the energy of the paint surface add to this sense of drama.
Rather than being a specific interpretation of a classical story, it is perhaps more likely that Middleton is trying to evoke
the fragility and emotion of this young girl, who is used to represent both a powerful personal experience of life and also
the universal experience of the turmoil of a world transformed by the war.
Dickon Hall, November 2013
€12,000 - 16,000
