Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/130999
What effect did Mary's work have on her husband? Even Norbert Lynton found this difficult to assess, but he did identify shared qualities. He noted that there is evidence that Mary contributed to the 'geometry of fear' idiom 'and thus to a formal climate that was of interest to her husband.' Certainly Mary was indispensable in many other ways, not least as criticin-residence. Lynton recounts that: 'it was routine for her to be asked into the studio of an evening to comment on the day's production. She must have known how to express her opinion without inhibiting the artist. He certainly trusted her judgement.' When in 1982 Mary suffered a debilitating stroke, William felt it deeply, not just because he was instantly deprived of so much support, but because the very fabric and context of his life was disrupted. This is by no means a comprehensive or inclusive exhibition of Scott and his circle, but it is an unusually revealing portrait of a group of friends and associates, of artists with whom William Scott had a real rapport. And as such it throws new light on a very interesting microcosm of mid-20th century British art, in what is William Scott's centenary year. Andrew Lambirth I would like to acknowledge a debt incurred during the writing of this essay to Norbert Lynton's magisterial 2004 monograph on William Scott, which covered so much ground so eloquently. Patrick Heron with Robert Scott holding Grey and Black Still Life, May 1996. Photo: Lisa Scott 13