Philosopher’s Ridge is based on a photograph that McNab took on a visit to Mount Etna in the spring of 2006. It depicts a group of adventurers or tourists staning on the edge of a volcanic crater, their shadows elongated by the sun behind them. The painting was created as part of a series of works that quietly tackle the unpredictability of nature, the human impact on the earth and the vulnerability of humankind. There is some mystery and unease in the landscape, enhanced by the artist’s minimalistic method of presenting the scene, allowing the viewer to build up a narrative around it.

Janice McNab, born 1964

Born in Aberfeldy, Perth & Kinross, McNab studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Glasgow School of Art, completing her Finer Art degree at the latter in 1997. In 2000, McNab moved to Amsterdam on a Scottish Arts Council residency programme, leading to a permanent move to the Netherlands. Over the last two decades, McNab has painted numerous subjects in series that deal with documenting matters such as contemporary life, consumption and the body. She is currently Head of the Artist Research MA at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.