William Scott, R.A.

Falchi Arte Moderna, Milano
Acquired from the above by the present owner in the 1970s

London, The Tate Gallery, William Scott,: Paintings Drawings and Gouaches 1938-1971, 19 April-29 May 1972, no. 115, illustrated in colour as frontispiece in the catalogue;
Milan, Falchi Arte Moderna, 1972, no. 5.

Jane Stockwood, 'William Scott at Work in Somerset and London', Harpers & Queen, March 1972, illustrated in colour;
Norbert Lynton, William Scott, Thames & Hudson, 2004, p.326, pl.203.

The canvas is unlined. It is slightly loose on its stretcher but appears to be providing a good sound support. The paint surface appears to be in beautiful original condition and stable throughout. There is however an accumulation of surface dirt and the work would benefit greatly from a professional clean. Inspection under UV light does not reveal any later retouchings. Presented unglazed in a simple wooden baton frame in good condition. Please note that the yellow is slightly less vibrant in the original than it appears in the catalogue photo.
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This work is registered in the William Scott Archive as no.206
Sarah Whitfield is currently preparing the Catalogue Raisonne of works in oil by William Scott.  The William Scott Foundation would like to hear from owners of any work by the artist so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue or in future projected catalogues.  Please write to Sarah Whitfield c/o Sotheby's, 20th Century British Art Department, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.

Painted in 1971, Yellow Dark and Light was executed the year before Scott was honoured with a large scale retrospective at the Tate Gallery, London, in 1972 and it is significant that the artist chose the present work to be illustrated, in colour, as the frontispiece to the exhibition catalogue; he was clearly pleased with the finished effect. 

Having returned to the theme of still life in the late 1960s (see lots 8 and 9), Scott began to develop an interest in a new range of colours in the early 1970s. In large scale works such as Parallel Forms, Orange (1971, Private Collection) and Diminishing Forms, Green (1971, Private Collection), the bold choice of background colour, orange and green respectively, reaches a new intensity. Whilst also infused with a vibrant background, Yellow Dark and Light achieves a more sophisticated result through the subtle variation in the yellow hues that stretch across the upper, central and lower sections of the canvas. The ground is almost translucent in areas and the two prominent forms appear to float above them. The horizontal focus of the stripes of colour is also suggestive of the traditional subject of the table top still life and re-focuses the viewer's attention onto the elegant simplicity of Scott's trademark bowl and long handled frying pan at the centre of the composition.