Anthem 2023 (War Requiem)

Britain’s war Requiem has been a source of inspiration for Burns’ artwork since the very earliest days. In the early 90s, he produced a series of canvases inspired by the work, one of which was “Anthem” (key work page no) he would still be regarded as a key work in terms of his early development as an artist.

In 2023 as a result of a proposed collaboration with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra he was presented with an unexpected opportunity to revisit the theme, this resulted in a set of three new canvases.

Britten, a prominent 20th-century English composer, created the War Requiem in response to the horrors of World War II. Premiered in 1962, the Requiem intertwines traditional Latin Mass for the Dead with the poetry of Wilfred Owen, a World War I soldier and poet. This fusion of sacred and secular elements conveys a powerful anti-war message, making it a seminal work in Britten’s oeuvre.

For those unfamiliar with it, it’s arguably not the easiest piece of classical music to get to grips with. Unlike many other pieces of music based on the theme of war it is devoid of any triumphalism and is instead a stark and brutal response to the futility and terrible waste of life during that terrible war. Owens’ poems as much as the music itself were what drew Burns to the piece all those years ago, and once again these would be the pillars upon which these new artworks would be based.

Determined not to simply repeat what he had done back in the 90’s Burns embarked upon what would this time be a much more austere and atmospheric response. Placing children once again at the heart of the composition, however this time the bright colours of their clothing are set against a stark winter wilderness, painted almost exclusively in tonal shades of black white and grey.

Finding himself pulled in several different directions with regard to the symbols he wanted to include in the artwork, what had originally been planned as a single artwork became three separate paintings. These three paintings were created sequentially, and as such each would comfortably exist in their own right. However its clear that they are much more powerfully received as a triptych, each panel telling a slightly different story, but combining to create one single artwork.