John Duncan Fergusson R.B.A.

Alex Reid & Lefevre, London, 1932;
Margaret Morris, Glasgow;
Christie's, Glasgow, 12 November 1998, lot 2;
Private Collection

Edinburgh, Arts Council of Great Britain, Scottish Committee J D Fergusson Memorial Exhibition, November 1961 - June 1962, no.102

Margaret Morris, The Art of J.D. Fergusson,1974, p.136

The original canvas is sound. The surface undulates very slightly in the lower left and lower right corners. Otherwise the paint surface is stable and in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light there is a spot of retouching to the left of the door. Held in a gilt plaster frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6132 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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The Château de Deux Rives was located in Dinard, a coastal town in Normandy that became an attraction for the rich and fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century. Fergusson and his wife, Margaret Morris, first visited the house in 1920 after which they made regular returns. Morris was a prominent dancer and theatrical producer and initially took the house in order to run one of her Summer Schools. In her biography of her husband she describes it as, 'a large house on a cliff, a promontory running into the sea, with a large garden and lovely views' (Margaret Morris, The Art of J. D. Fergusson, 1974, p. 136).

 

Fergusson took seriously the challenge of rendering light in his paintings, in which he believed lay the truth of a painting. In the catalogue introduction of his 1905 exhibition Fergusson, drawing on the influence of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, indicates his intention of 'trying for truth, for reality; through light. That to the realist in painting, light is the mystery; for form and colour which are the painter's only means of representing life, exist only on account of light'. It is in Fergusson's application of this theory that the success of Le Chateau de Deux Rives lies. Through his careful attention to colour, a warm and evocative light pervades the painting, which in accordance to Fergusson's Colourist principles, is vibrant and energetically applied.