Colonel (later Brigadier Sir) John Kinninmont Dunlop, Assistant Adjutant General of the Territorial Army 1937

Arthur Pan’s portrait of Colonel John Kinninmont Dunlop is a symphony in umber and grey, built up with methodical brushstrokes of oil paint. The muted palette speaks of quiet authority, and the paint has been applied in a way that emphasizes form and volume. Look at the Colonel’s face, see how the light catches on his cheek. The artist is not trying to conceal the labor involved in making this picture, but neither is he trying to draw undue attention to it. Everything is carefully considered, understated. The more I look at the Colonel’s hands, the more they speak to me. The way the artist has handled the gloves, they’re almost sculptural in their solidity. This piece reminds me of those portraits by Manet, where the sitter’s essence is captured through an almost detached observation. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, echoing and reinterpreting ideas across time.