A.S. Byatt (Portrait of A S Byatt : Red, Yellow, Green and Blue : 24 September 1997)
- Artist: Patrick Heron
- Date: 1997
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 38 1/8 in. x 47 7/8 in. (968 mm x 1216 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Antonia Susan ('A.S.') Byatt
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In oil on canvas, Patrick Heron layers vibrant red, yellow, green and blue onto the portrait of A.S. Byatt. Loose brushwork suggests movement; it isn’t a strict likeness but captures her creative energy. The work recalls his earlier semi‑cubist style seen in his T.S. Eliot portrait. Painted in his St Ives studio after several sittings, Heron sought to convey Byatt’s “creative intellect,” as she said: this is a picture of how she feels when she works at full speed.
See it in person
A.S. Byatt (Portrait of A S Byatt : Red, Yellow, Green and Blue : 24 September 1997) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
