Mark Neville

Newborn Lamb, 2008

'Newborn Lamb' was commissioned for an exhibition at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in 2008.The artist has explained:

"I was fascinated by the context; the triangular relationship between Mount Stuart, the artist, and the community on the island. When you look at the history of painting, the notion that a commissioned art work can look objectively at the relationship between a land-owning commissioner, and those who work the land, seems questionable, and so this seemed the most fertile area to look at. As with the Port (Glasgow) project, this happened to involve engaging, over a sustained period, with a closely knit, working community, and giving substantial authorial control back to the subject."

"There are about seventy farms on the Isle and almost all are still owned by the Bute Estate. So, in effect, the system is still feudal. Farmers can live and work the land for generations, without ever getting to own it themselves, nor pass it on to their children. Having said that, the landlord is a benevolent one, who often charges very low rents, provides employment and who is aware of the struggles the farmers face. So the relationship is complex, and not at all clear cut."