Description
Conté and gouache
Dimensions
32.5cm x 24cm (12.75in x 9.5in)
Footnote
Provenance:Compass Gallery, Glasgow June 1975
Note: John Duncan Fergusson was the most international and political of the four Scottish Colourists. The selection of works by him offered in this sale chart some of the interesting early developments of his career. Largely self-taught as an artist, Fergusson was originally based in Edinburgh, and developed his painterly and observation skills on the sights and population of the capital. At this time, he often worked on a small, portable scale, and on board for ease of transport.
Fergusson's flâneur approach to life and painting translated perfectly to Paris, when he decided to move to this artistic centre in 1907. It is from this period that many of his characteristic elegant conté sketches of the figures of Parisian café culture date, as Fergusson participated in this scene and captured the personalities he met and observed there - the elegant ladies in elaborate hats, suited and moustachioed gentleman, even musicians with their instruments.
The dynamic Self-Portrait is more worked up, with gouache layered over the initial conté lines. Fergusson was never particularly well-off and by depicting himself he saved the cost of a model, while allowing more time to work into the depiction, beyond the simple lines of a quickly observed sketch. The portrait has a sense of drama, in his strong lines, but also in the way he chooses to depict himself, with a bold hat which frames his face and offers a striking contrast with his angular facial structure. Fergusson was interested in contemporary fashions, often making the effort to include fashionable touches in his female studies, particularly hats, so it is interesting to see him turn this particular focus on himself.