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Lot Essay
Once owned by collector Major Herbert J. Dunsmuir, Street in Cassis, France demonstrates the developing style of John Duncan Fergusson, one of the leading Scottish artists of his time. Though the execution date of this painting is uncertain, a combination of techniques from various art movements is evident, reflecting Fergusson’s experimentation and his diverse influences. While training in Scotland, Fergusson’s outgoing character, and willingness to challenge traditional training, quickly led to a frustration with the strict disciplines of art classes. His time at Edinburgh’s Trustee’s Academy was consequently short-lived. Instead he took inspiration from James McNeill Whistler and the Glasgow Boys, travelling regularly to France in the late 1890s. There, the juxtaposing energy of the culture further influenced his self-instruction, continuously shaping Fergusson’s painting style and subject matter.
Fergusson and close friend, Samuel John Peploe worked together for many years, recording French street scenes and portraits en plein air: the method influenced by a number of Impressionist artists and the writings of Henry James. James would create characters from fleeting moments with passers-by, which led Fergusson to realise that a ‘…close observation of seemingly insignificant moments could be built up into an expression of the greater world’ (P. Long, A Tribute to Fergus, Edinburgh, 2004, p. 2). As a result, an introduction of a lighter colour palette with large, energetic brushstrokes contrasted dramatically to his earlier dark-toned paintings that were inspired by Manet and Velázquez, and further distinguished his style from the academic methods Fergusson previously experienced.
Through visits to France he built friendships with artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, and those following the Fauvist movement. His selective influence by his peers led to Fergusson evolving his style to reflect his feelings towards both the capital and its society. A move to Paris in 1907 led to Fergusson immersing himself in the avant-garde and café society scenes. In his memoirs, Fergusson recorded, ‘I immediately found there, what the French call an ‘ambience’ – an atmosphere which was not only agreeable and suitable to work in, but in which it was impossible not to work!’ (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in M. Morris, The Art of J.D. Fergusson, Glasgow, 1974, p. 50).
With bold representations of light and application of colour, Street in Cassis, France clearly demonstrates Fergusson’s affections with the south of the country. Deliberately visible layers of paint coupled with loose brushstrokes, not only capture the movements of the depicted figures, but the energy and confidence he felt as he painted this scene. A central dominant building, painted with thick bright white and cream pigments, emphasises the intensity of the light. This intensity dramatically contrasts with the bold shadows and a strongly grounded silhouetted figure, represented with dark blues and underlying red tones. Equally impulsive, gestural brushstrokes of similar colours suggest additional background characters, enhancing the sensation of movement, and spontaneity of the painting. On adjacent buildings, colourful shutters build a sense of depth; framing either side of the street scene and the central character.
The importance of these elements was detailed during Fergusson’s 1905 exhibition at the Baillie Gallery, London. There he stated that light is the artist’s means of representing a true depiction of life. His time spent in the south of France with its bright sunlight and architectural shadows, enabled him to discover and represent this to a great extent. In a letter to his wife, Margaret Morris, Fergusson wrote, ‘The place here has given me quite a new start, a different feeling all together about painting, or rather it has given me what I’ve been trying to make out of nothing – the colour, the shapes, everything that I was developing by sheer sweat and labour is here. The light that one snatched with excitement when it happened once in a blue moon, is here even in winter’ (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in M.Morris, ibid., p. 79).
The present work additionally echoes techniques of Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, another Scottish Colourist. Cadell’s pre-war painting can be broken into three specific elements: the large application of thick white and cream paint, areas of pastel colour, and a dark object as a focal point. Despite these similarities, areas of reduced detail and strong structural outlines, reveals a changing nature and experimental side of Fergusson’s painting.
In later years, Fergusson’s transition to Fauvism became even more apparent. By 1909, he was appointed a Sociétaire of the Salon d’Automne, exhibiting regularly alongside artists who continued to challenge ideas of artistic representation. Fergusson embraced bolder lines, vivid planes of colour and a growing sense of ‘emotive expression’ in his painting, based on growing interest in works by Henri Matisse and Cézanne (P. Long (ed.), The Scottish Colourists 1900-1930, Edinburgh, 2001, p. 44). With this in mind, Fergusson’s travels and contact with a wide variety of artist movements was clearly instrumental in his portrayal of figures and street scenes alike. André Dunoyer de Segonzac expressed his admiration of Fergusson in his memorial exhibition, stating, ‘His art is a deep and pure expression of his immense love of life. Capable of achieving a rare, almost sculptural quality, he also adds an exceptional sense of colour: loud and vibrant colour uniting with his rich and sumptuous subjects’ (A. Dunoyer de Segonzac, quoted in P. Long (ed.), ibid., p. 75).
Fergusson and close friend, Samuel John Peploe worked together for many years, recording French street scenes and portraits en plein air: the method influenced by a number of Impressionist artists and the writings of Henry James. James would create characters from fleeting moments with passers-by, which led Fergusson to realise that a ‘…close observation of seemingly insignificant moments could be built up into an expression of the greater world’ (P. Long, A Tribute to Fergus, Edinburgh, 2004, p. 2). As a result, an introduction of a lighter colour palette with large, energetic brushstrokes contrasted dramatically to his earlier dark-toned paintings that were inspired by Manet and Velázquez, and further distinguished his style from the academic methods Fergusson previously experienced.
Through visits to France he built friendships with artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, and those following the Fauvist movement. His selective influence by his peers led to Fergusson evolving his style to reflect his feelings towards both the capital and its society. A move to Paris in 1907 led to Fergusson immersing himself in the avant-garde and café society scenes. In his memoirs, Fergusson recorded, ‘I immediately found there, what the French call an ‘ambience’ – an atmosphere which was not only agreeable and suitable to work in, but in which it was impossible not to work!’ (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in M. Morris, The Art of J.D. Fergusson, Glasgow, 1974, p. 50).
With bold representations of light and application of colour, Street in Cassis, France clearly demonstrates Fergusson’s affections with the south of the country. Deliberately visible layers of paint coupled with loose brushstrokes, not only capture the movements of the depicted figures, but the energy and confidence he felt as he painted this scene. A central dominant building, painted with thick bright white and cream pigments, emphasises the intensity of the light. This intensity dramatically contrasts with the bold shadows and a strongly grounded silhouetted figure, represented with dark blues and underlying red tones. Equally impulsive, gestural brushstrokes of similar colours suggest additional background characters, enhancing the sensation of movement, and spontaneity of the painting. On adjacent buildings, colourful shutters build a sense of depth; framing either side of the street scene and the central character.
The importance of these elements was detailed during Fergusson’s 1905 exhibition at the Baillie Gallery, London. There he stated that light is the artist’s means of representing a true depiction of life. His time spent in the south of France with its bright sunlight and architectural shadows, enabled him to discover and represent this to a great extent. In a letter to his wife, Margaret Morris, Fergusson wrote, ‘The place here has given me quite a new start, a different feeling all together about painting, or rather it has given me what I’ve been trying to make out of nothing – the colour, the shapes, everything that I was developing by sheer sweat and labour is here. The light that one snatched with excitement when it happened once in a blue moon, is here even in winter’ (J.D. Fergusson, quoted in M.Morris, ibid., p. 79).
The present work additionally echoes techniques of Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, another Scottish Colourist. Cadell’s pre-war painting can be broken into three specific elements: the large application of thick white and cream paint, areas of pastel colour, and a dark object as a focal point. Despite these similarities, areas of reduced detail and strong structural outlines, reveals a changing nature and experimental side of Fergusson’s painting.
In later years, Fergusson’s transition to Fauvism became even more apparent. By 1909, he was appointed a Sociétaire of the Salon d’Automne, exhibiting regularly alongside artists who continued to challenge ideas of artistic representation. Fergusson embraced bolder lines, vivid planes of colour and a growing sense of ‘emotive expression’ in his painting, based on growing interest in works by Henri Matisse and Cézanne (P. Long (ed.), The Scottish Colourists 1900-1930, Edinburgh, 2001, p. 44). With this in mind, Fergusson’s travels and contact with a wide variety of artist movements was clearly instrumental in his portrayal of figures and street scenes alike. André Dunoyer de Segonzac expressed his admiration of Fergusson in his memorial exhibition, stating, ‘His art is a deep and pure expression of his immense love of life. Capable of achieving a rare, almost sculptural quality, he also adds an exceptional sense of colour: loud and vibrant colour uniting with his rich and sumptuous subjects’ (A. Dunoyer de Segonzac, quoted in P. Long (ed.), ibid., p. 75).