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Lot Essay
Fergusson had visited France as early as 1895 but it was from the turn of the twentieth century that he began to spend significant periods of time there, often in the company of his friend and fellow artist Samuel John Peploe. During the summers spent in France, Peploe and Fergusson made regular trips to the country's fashionable coastal resorts, often sketching together on the north coast. Here they would often set up easels side by side, often producing finished works of the same view which are sometimes difficult to tell apart.
Looking at Étaples from the beach, we can clearly see the influence of the French Impressionists upon Fergusson's style. Working en plein air, in the Impressionist manner, his palette during this period becomes paler and fresher, and his brushwork more fluent in handling. Here he has developed the facility to convey the essence of his subject matter with breath-taking simplicity, using thick, creamy paint, applied with seemingly effortless skill to capture the beauty of the place.
Fergusson was to become integral to bohemian Parisian life, and loved the French capital, its people and its modern approach to art. He recalled, 'Well, I was in Paris, without money or rich relations ... but repeatedly encouraged by what someone has called "le bon air de Paris ...". Life was as it should be and I was very happy' (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in J. Geddes and M. Morris, Cafe Drawings in Edwardian Paris from the Sketch-Books of J.D. Fergusson, 1974, p. 8). In 1907 Fergusson finally settled in Paris at Boulevard Edgar Quinet with a retainer to produce illustrations of café life for an American magazine.
Looking at Étaples from the beach, we can clearly see the influence of the French Impressionists upon Fergusson's style. Working en plein air, in the Impressionist manner, his palette during this period becomes paler and fresher, and his brushwork more fluent in handling. Here he has developed the facility to convey the essence of his subject matter with breath-taking simplicity, using thick, creamy paint, applied with seemingly effortless skill to capture the beauty of the place.
Fergusson was to become integral to bohemian Parisian life, and loved the French capital, its people and its modern approach to art. He recalled, 'Well, I was in Paris, without money or rich relations ... but repeatedly encouraged by what someone has called "le bon air de Paris ...". Life was as it should be and I was very happy' (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in J. Geddes and M. Morris, Cafe Drawings in Edwardian Paris from the Sketch-Books of J.D. Fergusson, 1974, p. 8). In 1907 Fergusson finally settled in Paris at Boulevard Edgar Quinet with a retainer to produce illustrations of café life for an American magazine.