Lot 147
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937)
STILL LIFE WITH PINK ROSES IN A BLUE JUG
Estimate: £100,000 - £150,000
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Sale | Lots 103-196 | Thursday 05 December from 6pm
Description
Signed, inscribed ‘Roses’ verso, oil on board
Dimensions
37cm x 45cm (14.5in x 17.75in)
Provenance
Lyon & Turnbull, Fine Paintings, 1st December 2011, lot 195 where acquired by the present owner
Footnote
F. C. B. Cadell, like his fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe, was a master of the still life genre, as can be seen in Still Life with Pink Roses in a Blue Jug. Here, Cadell’s boldness of composition, bravura application of oil paint and combination of strong and subtle colours come together to create an image of dynamism and poise.
Cadell lived – and liked to paint – a stylish lifestyle and his still lifes are full of suggested narratives centred on a celebration of beauty - often conveyed by way of attractive cut flowers in boldly coloured vessels - and on the enjoyment of sophisticated past-times, such as those which would necessitate a be-ribboned black fan.
During the 1920s, Cadell’s practice progressed from the bright palette, tight technique and suppression of volume of the works made during his first years at 6 Ainslie Place in Edinburgh’s New Town at the start of the decade, to a broader, more expressive technique and a greater sense of volume as seen in the present painting.
Close attention is paid to elements such as the flower heads, shown from two angles and whose radiating petals Cadell has depicted in gently graduated tones of pink. These are contrasted with the bold green of stem and leaf and are placed against dense black and blue. The strongly realised blue jug, completed with two dabbed brushstrokes to convey a reflection in its glazing, contrasts with the more freely depicted fan in front of which it is positioned. The fan’s ribbon winds its way down to the lower left corner of the composition and ends in deft, spare brushstrokes which are more suggestive than illustrative.
Swathes of the white tablecloth are left empty, whilst certain passages verge on the abstract with a focus on paint application and strength of colour. Notions of depth and perspective are played with as only an artist of great skill, experience and confidence could achieve. Still Life with Pink Roses in a Blue Jug encompasses Cadell’s painterliness, his swagger and boldness, and his enduring appreciation of the beautiful.
