The Pianist Entertains, 1987

John Bellany RA (1942 - 2013)

RA Collection: Art

Being born into a family of fishermen and brought up as a strict Calvinist in the village of Port Seton, near Edinburgh both had a profound effect on Bellany’s art in terms of subject matter and as a constant reminder of the frailty of human existence. This became more personal during the time The Pianist Entertains was painted as Bellany was seriously ill and only survived thanks to a lifesaving liver transplant in 1988.

A pianist entertains, his sheet music promising a ‘Celubrious [salubrious] Soirée’, while a couple play cards. The gaunt bearded man resembles Bellany himself, who was seriously ill at the time. The monkey symbolises inner demons.

The Ace of Hearts and Two perhaps reference the fact that Bellany had recently remarried his first wife, Helen. The Ace of Clubs resembles a Celtic cross, referencing his Scottish Calvinist upbringing. Top left is a detail of a fishing boat, the Star of Bethlehem, recalling his childhood in a family of fishermen and boatbuilders. A clock with staring eyes marks the passing of time.