The Singing Butler. Oil on canvas, (71 cm × 91 cm), 1992. © Jack Vettriano Publishing1992
The Singing Butler is considered the most iconic work by Jack Vettriano and represents his poetics in an emblematic way: the narrative construction of the image, the dialogue with twentieth-century cinematic imagery, and the use of eros and desire as evocative devices. An elegantly dressed couple dances on the shoreline on a windy, grey day, while a butler and a maid, slightly set back, hold umbrellas to shield them from the rain. The composition is built on a strong contrast between the harmonious movement of the dancers and the hostility of the natural environment, emphasized by the leaden sky and the wind sweeping across the scene.
Jack Vettriano, The Singing Butler. Oil on canvas (71 cm × 91 cm), 1992. © Jack Vettriano Publishing