Anne Redpath, R.S.A., A.R.A.

T and R Annan & Sons, Glasgow;
Ewan Munday Fine Art;
Private Collection

The panel is in good condition with no signs of cracking or bowing. The paint surface is clean and ready to hang. Ultraviolet light reaveals no visible signs of retouching. This work is held under glass and held in a plaster gilt frame in fair conditio; unexamined out of frame
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Immediately striking in Anne Redpath's still lifes is the steeply angled perspective she deploys to portray the objects in front of her. In Michaelmass Daisies, Redpath adopts a viewpoint looking down on to the table. This unconventional style subverts the classical tradition of still life painting and tackles the subject in a fresh and engaging manner. The circular table fills almost the entirety of the composition. This flattens the picture space and draws the viewer into the work. A sense of movement is created in the exaggerated angle of objects as the eye is led from the cups and saucers in the upper right corner to the table cloth that threatens to fall off the table in the lower left. Redpath acknowledged this distortion of reality when she once remarked to the buyer of one of her still lifes: 'Be careful the objects don't fall off when you get home!'

 

Equally bold in Michaelmass Daisies is Redpath's palette, consisting of vibrant colours applied in a rigorous manner. Yet the colours are not unconsidered and work subtly together to create a harmonious composition. Redpath's technique involved an 'all over' approach which disregarded perspective in favour of colour contrast and form. Derek Clarke, a contemporary of Redpath's in the Hanover Street Group, recalls Redpath's 'liveliness and concentration, walking back and forth, turning suddenly to spring surprise on the image and catch it unawares, screwing up her to diffuse the focus and generalise the image. She was at every stage concerned with the whole of the painting rather than concentrating on a small area'. In Michaelmass Daisies, the success of this imaginative technique is realised.