Magnificat

James Clark (1858-1943)

1886

Oil on canvas

162 x 106 cm

Courtesy of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

Charlotte Taylor tells us that in 1884, Clark and his wife Elizabeth moved to London, where they spent most of the rest of their lives. By the time this painting was completed, they were parents, their first two children being girls, Lillian and Ruth: there would be six altogether (his last child, the artist John Cosmo Clark, was born in 1897). It may be that this radiant work, suffused with golden light, reflects Clark's joy in the early years of fatherhood, with his wife and little daughters as models. [Click on the image to enlarge it. Commentary continues below.]