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Since the early 1960s, Aitchison has favoured working with West Indian and African models. According to the artist, ‘“colours look much better against black skin”’. Georgeous Macaulay, the Nigerian model in this painting, was the first black model the artist worked with, and he painted him repeatedly.

In this portrait he is framed with delicate pink and cool turquoise hues, contrasting with the richness and warmth of his skin. Aitchison was intrigued by headgear and how the resulting shapes could become a focal point of a painting. Here it is the sou'wester, a traditional form of collapsible oilskin rain hat, that dominates the composition.

Georgeous Macaulay in a Sou'wester has been on loan to Amgueddfa Cymru from the Derek Williams Trust since 2001.

This work was included in the PITCH BLACK digital Black History tours of the Amgueddfa Cymru collections.