A comprehensive picture of the life and land of Wales's greatest artist in the twentieth and early twenty-first century. In text and pictures, his life is documented from his childhood in Llangefni to his return to Anglesey in 1974 to work as a professional artist. Reprint; first published in June 2008.

Darlun cynhwysfawr o fywyd a bro arlunydd mwyaf Cymru yn yr ugeinfed ganrif a dechrau'r unfed ganrif ar hugain. Trwy gyfrwng lluniau a geiriau, adroddir hanes ei fywyd o dyddiau'i ieuenctid yn Llangefni, i'w ddychweliad i Sir Fôn yn 1974 i weithio fel arlunydd llawn-amser. Adargraffiad; cyhoeddwyd gyntaf ym mis Mehefin 2008.

English review follows

Dyma’r gyfrol ddiweddaraf – y chweched ar hugain o ran rhif – yn y gyfres arbennig o ddifyr a diddorol hon sydd wedi ymddangos yn achlysurol er 1981. Dyma’r gyfrol gyntaf yn y gyfres i ymddangos yn ddwyieithog, a’r gyntaf hefyd i geisio corlannu bro a bywyd arlunydd. O gofio hynny, gallai’r demtasiwn o lanw’r gyfrol â chreadigaethau ysblennydd yr arlunydd fod wedi mynd â bryd y golygydd, ond nid felly y bu. Er bod yma enghreifftiau ddigon o ddawn Kyffin, gan gynnwys rhai o’i bortreadau – ei gryfder mawr yn fy marn i – mae’r pwyslais bob amser ar y dyn ei hun, a hynny mewn modd mor ddengar fel na all hyd yn oed y sawl na ddaeth i gysylltiad personol ag ef lai nag ymddiddori ynddo a chynhesu ato.

Ganed Kyffin i haen o gymdeithas ychydig yn uwch na’r cyffredin, ac o safbwynt cyfrol fel hon da o beth oedd hynny. Nid pob teulu yn y gymdogaeth lle maged ef ym Môn yn hanner cyntaf yr ugeinfed ganrif fyddai’n feddiannol ar gamera teuluol, ond yn ystod ei blentyndod a’i fachgendod ef, clywid clic un o’r rheini’n fynych iawn, ac yr oedd camera hefyd, mae’n amlwg, yn rhan o arfogaeth y byddigions plwsfforaidd yr âi Kyffin yn ddiweddarach i saethu a dilyn cŵn hela yn eu cwmni. Y canlyniad yw fod yma oriel gyfareddol o ffotograffau sy’n bortread o gyfnod arbennig mewn ardal arbennig ac o ŵr arbennig iawn ar ei brifiant.

Wrth iddo ddod yn enw cyfarwydd trowyd llawer camera arall i’w gyfeiriad, fel y gwelir wrth fodio’r gyfrol gyfoethog hon – Kyffin yn ei hafan ym Mhwllfanogl, yn Oriel Môn, ar glogwyni Llanddwyn, yn Fenis a llawer man arall. Gresyn na cheir llun ohono ar ei ymweliad â Phatagonia yn 1968 – ymweliad a esgorodd ar gymaint o drysorau. Hyfryd o anffurfiol yw ambell lun, megis yr un ohono ef, a’i sgrepan ar ei gefn, yn dringo dros lidiart yn Rhostryfan [13], yn stryffaglian ar un o lethrau Nant Peris wrth chwilio am fan addas i ddechrau ar ei waith [63], ac yn synfyfyrio’n ddwys ar ôl ei gyrraedd [87].

Mawr ddiolch i David Meredith, y clywir tinc ei bersonoliaeth fyrlymus yn y testun, ac i Ddafydd Llwyd, y golygydd testun a lluniau, am gyfrol ardderchog.

Tegwyn Jones

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This is the latest volume – number twenty six – in a particularly interesting and entertaining series which has appeared intermittently since 1981. It is the first bilingual volume in the series, and the first to attempt to capture the ‘life and land’ of a painter. Bearing this in mind, the editor might have been tempted to fill the pages with the artist’s splendid creations, but this did not happen. Although there are examples aplenty of Kyffin’s great artistic gifts, including some of his portraits – his tour de force in my opinion – the emphasis is always on the man himself, and in such a way as to endear him even to those of us who never knew him personally.

Kyffin was born into a slightly higher social strata than many of his contemporaries, which, from this volume’s point of view, was no bad thing. Not many families in the community where he was brought up on Ynys Môn in the first half of the 20th century would have owned a family camera, but in the course of his childhood and boyhood the click of that device must have been a familiar sound. A camera, it seems, was also an essential part of the baggage when Kyffin would later go shooting and hunting with his gentry friends, all of which presents us with a collection of fascinating photographs of a particular period in a particular place and of the formative years of a very special person.

As his name became more and more familiar to the public, cameras other than family ones were pointed at him, as is clearly shown by this sumptuous volume – Kyffin in his paradise in Pwllfanogl, in Oriel Môn, on the cliffs of Llanddwyn, in Venice and many other places. Regrettably, no photograph seems to exist (or at least none is used) of his memorable sojourn in Patagonia in 1968 which produced so many visual treasures. Wonderful in their informality are some of the photographs used, such as the one that catches the artist, with a satchel on his back, scrambling over a gate in Rhostryfan [13], struggling up a slope in Nant Peris in search of a vantage point [63], and deep in thought after finally getting there [87].

Buyers of this volume will thank the editor, David Meredith, whose enthusiastic personality is reflected in the text, and the text and picture editor, Dafydd Llwyd, for a great achievement.

Tegwyn Jones

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.