Gordon Scott

Portrait of a Conscientious Objector (c.1942) by Gordon Scott is a small, bust‑length portrait that depicts a young man emerging from a near‑black ground. As the title states, the painting depicts a member of the Non-Combatant Corps (NCC), individuals who claimed the right to refuse to perform military service in the Second World War. Scott was stationed at Bulford Camp as a member of the NCC and throughout the early 1940's made portraits such as this of his fellow objectors.

In this work Scott's palette is restricted to a range of earthy brown tones punctuated by a delicately rendered white shirt which concentrates the gaze on the face. The handling of the paint is careful and economical: thin glazes and modelled passages delineate the micro-gestures of the face, while the uniform softens and recedes into the ground akin to deep cinematic focus. Its quiet economy of tone and touch keeps the sitter’s conviction visible without insisting on spectacle.