Born in Liverpool to Scottish parents, John McLean studied English literature at St. Andrew’s University and then art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He never attended a formal studio art school. Finding the atmosphere in London more conducive to being a painter than that in Scotland, after college McLean established himself in the city as an abstract painter and has remained committed to abstraction ever since. Like other artists of his generation, such as John Hoyland, McLean was influenced by American color field painting, and when traveling to New York in 1972 he met the influential critic Clement Greenberg, with whom he corresponded frequently. He lived in New York in the 1980s before returning to Britain, where he lives and works in London. The title of the painting refers to a traditional Scottish dance tune that dates back to the eighteenth century. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)
