Kendal

Kendal castle

I went to the Abbot Hall art gallery today to visit the exhibition of Scottish Colourists (and others) from the Fleming Collection. There were at least two paintings I would happily have stolen:

Green Sea Iona, S J Peploe, 1935, oil on canvas

A Vase of Pink Roses, S J Peploe, c. 1925, oil on canvas

(Apparently Peploe primed his canvasses with an absorbent gesso ground, which prevented re-working – so he had to paint fast.)

Kirkcudbright, S J Peploe, c. 1919, oil on canvas

Influences on the Colourists – Peploe, Cadell, Fergusson and Turner – included Manet, Monet, Matisse, Whistler, Cézanne and John Singer Sergent. Sometimes it was very clear whose style was dominant in a particular painting – like Cézanne in Kirkudbright. It was also interesting to note the differences in the ways that two artists painted the same subject, like a still life with flowers. I enjoyed the variations in the way the paint was handled – whether quick, small brushstrokes or larger blocks of colour. The painting of Iona (above) was flanked by another landscape of Peploe’s, where the brushstrokes suggested constant movement rather than stillness. And the variety of lines: whether angular and blockish, or flowing and discrete.

The Whie Villa Cassis, F C B Cadell, 1924, oil on panel

The Feathered Hat, F C B Cadell, c 1914, oil on millboard

Flowers in a silver jug, S J Peploe, c 1904, oil on panel

Jonquils and Silver, J D Fergusson, 1905, oil on canvas

To complement the Colourists, there was a room of later painters who were influenced by their work, such as Anne Redpath and William Crozier.

In another room were some fascinating watercolours of Antarctica by Edward Wilson. He survived Scott’s Discovery expedition but perished on the later one. His paintings were detailed and informative . . . and very beautiful in an awe-inspiring way. I must find out more.

I also looked at the Portrait of Lady Scott by Lucian Freud. I don’t know how she felt about the portrait (masterful, of course), but I imagine that just a little bit of her must have wished she could have been painted by Joshua Reynolds with a dab of white in her eyes and on her lips like Mrs Luther!