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

Drambuie Collection, Edinburgh;
Lyon & Turnbull, 26 January 2006, lot 143

The board appears sound. One or two faint surface abrasions near the signature otherwise the work appears in very good overall condition with a rich surface. Ultraviolet light reveals some retouchings in the upper corners and a few flecks about the edges. Held in a silver coloured composite frame under glass, with a perspex backboard to reveal the reverse of the board; unexamined out of frame.
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Still Life with a Round Table is a vibrant, spirited interplay of colour, form, and movement and is at the intersection of an important technical shift in Redpath’s oeuvre in the 1940s and 1950s. The cool variations of whites and tranquil blues that dominate the table, the china, the napkin, and the background are characteristic of her early love of pale hues, while the punctuations of scarlet and fuschia flowers foreshadow her future exploration of bold and brilliant colours. Redpath’s interest in eclectic, unassuming domestic objects speaks to her belief in the manifestation of beauty in life’s simplest forms.

As is characteristic of many of Redpath’s still lifes, the tabletop is tilted at a steep angle, thrusting the arrangement into the forefront of the picture plane while challenging conventional perspective. This unrealistic, flattened compositional structure suggests the influence of the contrived perspectives of ancient Persian manuscript illustrations and Etruscan wall-paintings which Redpath admired and also demonstrates her connections with Matisse and Bonnard. The crisp linen napkin that is in the process of tumbling off the table hints at the possible fate of the precariously perched china, creating an interesting tension between the perceived solidity of the ceramic objects and their inherent fragility.

This suggestion of motion is further enhanced by the quick, energetic brush strokes and the rough texture of the paint. Throughout the 1940s, Redpath quite frequently soaked out the oil from her paints, creating a chalky, fresco-esque impression on the panel. Redpath also sculpted forms out of colour and used contrasting hues to create volume and relief. Her artistic process has been described as ‘culinary’ and in Still life with round table, the viewer senses the artist’s delight in the experimental process of creation, the frosting of paint with the palette knife, and the bold seasoning of colours. On verso there is an unfinished still life which provides the viewer with more insight into Redpath’s techniques and experimental arrangements. Strained financial circumstances and the Second World War severely limited resources and Redpath often needed to use both sides of the panel to create a successful composition. This provides today’s viewer with a double-pleasure and transforms the painting into a particularly unique work of art.

Still Life with Round Table is representative of the beginning of a reinvigoration of Redpath’s technique after a fifteen-year period of family life in France. Although Redpath had not completed many works during this time, she had earned a greater appreciation of life and beauty that in turn enhanced her later still lifes. Still lifes became major part of her oeuvre throughout the 1940s and 1950s, before several trips to Spain and France reawakened her interest in landscapes. Images such as Still Life with Round Table confirm Redpath’s role as one of the most masterful Scottish artists of the early twentieth century and time has only made her compositions appear more dazzling and energetic.