ANNE REDPATH O.B.E., R.S.A., A.R.A., L.L.D., A.R.W.S., R.O.I., R.B.A. (SCOTTISH 1895-1965) ◆§
STILL LIFE - TULIPS AND LILIES
£75,000
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Sale: 09 December 2021 | From 18:00
Description
Signed, oil on board
Dimensions
61cm x 51cm (24in x 20in)
Footnote
Note: In a review of the 1948 Royal Academy annual exhibition, the art critic of The Sunday Times declared 'Anne Redpath's still lifes stand out like patches of blue sky on a grey day' (as quoted in Patrick Bourne, Anne Redpath 1895-1965, Edinburgh 2004, p.46). Such is the case with Still Life Tulips and Lilies. It is infused with the joie de vivre and technical dexterity which made her a master of the genre.
The titular flowers spread from a cluster at the jug's neck in the centre of the composition, towards the edges of the canvas. Redpath's pleasure in combining the 'bright and quiet colours' which she loved is clear in the realisation of the flower heads. High points of red and yellow are contrasted with the subtle tonal blending of white, blue and grey. The image is anchored by the jug set upon a doily. The former may be Italian faience or tin glazed pottery and was the kind of object which Redpath liked to collect, particularly whilst travelling in Europe. In a sophisticated manipulation of viewpoint, we are able to look down on this part of the composition, at the same time as straight towards the flower arrangement. The whole is set before a lively textured background on which the still life elements appear almost to float. Redpath's pleasure in using oil paint is clear in these passages, applied in layered expanses by way of generous and gestural brushstrokes. The result is an assured image of beauty and balance.