JOHN DUNCAN FERGUSSON R.B.A. (SCOTTISH 1874-1961) §
WOMAN BATHING, CHÂTEAU DES ENFANTS, EDEN ROC, CAP D'ANTIBES (MARGARET MORRIS, PREPARING TO JUMP)
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Day Sale | Lots 1-110 | Thursday 05 June from 2pm
Description
Watercolour
Dimensions
24cm x 19cm (9.5in x 7.5in)
Provenance
Christie's Edinburgh, The Scottish Sale, 1 November 2001, lot 103 (as ‘Meg Bathing, Château des Enfants, Eden Roc, Cap d’Antibes')
Private Collection, Scotland
Footnote
The works on paper by the Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson presented here show his skill and enjoyment of the drawn line and the brushed stroke, in drawings and watercolours that cover subjects from chic Parisians to sunworshippers and sensual nudes.
Mademoiselle E is an example of the elegant women who caught Fergusson’s eye, often in cafés, whilst he was living in the French capital between 1907 and 1913. Rarely without a sketchbook and a conté pencil or two in his pocket, he would sketch at speed to capture key facial features and elements such as a fashionable hat, by which to conjure up a character on the page. Samuel John Peploe and his Wife Margaret Mackay Walking in the Luxembourg Gardens is a testament to Fergusson’s great friendship with his fellow Colourist. Peploe and Margaret joined him in Paris between 1910 and 1912, where - according to Fergusson - Peploe declared that they had ‘some of the greatest nights of his life’.
Fergusson left Paris in 1913 for the Cap d’Antibes, thus beginning a lifelong love of the area in the south of France. This affection was shared by his future wife, the dance pioneer Margaret ‘Meg’ Morris after she visited him there that Christmas. Her celebrated summer schools were held in Antibes on multiple occasions from 1923 and these happy, carefree months spent mainly outdoors were captured in watercolours such as The Red Belt, A Couple and Bathers at Eden Roc.
A full and frank appreciation of the female form is clear in works including Standing Nudes, Nude Seated on a Balcony and Reclining Nude, La Petite Farandole, Cap d’Antibes (Margaret Morris). A more nuanced admiration for feminine beauty can be seen in In the Garden, which, along with Palm Trees, Cap d’Antibes, bears colour notes to inform future works.
Throughout this group, one is aware of the artist’s touch upon his paper, whether applied through a pencil or a brush, creating intimate works which bring us to the heart of Fergusson’s creative process. Through works on paper such as these, he communicated feelings not only of friendship and love, but also an overall joie de vivre which characterises his oeuvre as a whole.