In 1907, John Duncan Fergusson took the momentous decision to move from Edinburgh to Paris, which he described as ‘simply a place of freedom’. He immersed himself in the artistic, intellectual and social life of the French capital and made his reputation as a leading artist of the twentieth century during the six years he lived there before World War One. He particularly revelled in its bustling café and restaurant scene and Supper Dance is a beautifully accomplished image of the fashionable clientele whom Fergus enjoyed capturing in images of elegance and movement. His fluid draughtsmanship is clear in passages such as the realisation of the female dancer’s gown, whilst a lively composition leads the eye from the champagne in the foreground, to the dancing couple, to another observed in intimate conversation in the background.
Kelvin Valley is a jewel of a painting, in which Fergus pays homage to the city which was the location for the final chapter of his international career. The Clouston Street flat overlooked Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens and was joined, via the River Kelvin, to Kelvingrove Park; these green spaces provided inspiration for the artist’s late, lyrical landscapes. He developed a distinct ‘Glasgow palette’ characterised by high-toned shades of green and pink, which were delicately and deftly applied to their supports in a gentle yet confident finale to the images of Princes Street Gardens, the Scottish Highlands and the South of France which preceded them.
Both of these works to be offered in our 08 June auction of Scottish Paintings & Sculpture were given to their good friends, the Arnotts, by Margaret Morris in the 1960s and are beautiful examples from key periods in Fergus’s career.
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Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Thursday 08 June
Live in Edinburgh & Online
View the auction catalogue: www.lyonandturnbull.com/aucti...
6 июн 2023
