As the exhibition Scottish Colourists: Radical Perspectives approaches the end of its Winchester run, we wanted to share our enthusiasm for this brilliant display, which has been the highlight of the Summer at the Arc. In this article, three members of the Arc team give their perspectives on their favourite works in the show. Insightful, personal, and varied, you may find yourself drawn to the sources of enthusiasm; if so, you have until the 16th of September to discover the excellence of the Scottish Colourists for yourself.
John Reed (Visual Arts Exhibitions Assistant):
Ben More in Mull offers a sparse but harmonious view. This piece immediately caught my eye as we unwrapped work before hanging the exhibition. The foreground holds reddish rocks, while the water shows an intermingling of colours before the bold blue mountains appear above. To me, the work feels meditative, tonally satisfying and soft. Caddell painted this view several times, and his other works feature more craggy adornments and bolder colouration. Whereas this study sings in simplicity and gracefully elevates the poetic pitch of an unassuming vantage point. Since seeing Caddell’s work, I have been inspired, when on the coast, to look out searchingly to sea and gently recompose what I see before me.
Jay Sadotra (Visitor Experience Assistance):
The Boxer by F.C.B. Cadell, bristles with a raw, unashamed sexuality.
We see a young, athletic male, so pale that his white loincloth seems to disappear into his skin. His large, muscular body slumps into a chair, dominating the canvas; his expression inscrutable, his eyes shifting towards the left. Huge hands, a soft, youthful face, flushed red.
It’s clever in its design and use of colour theory. A whiter-than-white, red-haired Scot is set against the darker-than-dark male figure in the painting behind him. The turquoise walls contrast with the orange-red chairs, making the painting seem to shine, to my eye, brighter than anything else in the Gallery.
Up close, his white body reveals all the colours surrounding it. His face isn’t really red at all but a patchwork of greens, mauves, yellows and violets. The gauzy, controlled strokes of paint remind me of Whistler.
Some questions arise... Did the boxer William Thomson really wish to sit for this portrait? Who is the man in the painting behind him? Why are his hands and face so red?
There is something classical in the way Cadell presents the male body here: this is a celebration of strength, youth and beauty. And yet our sitter seems almost reluctant in his role as 'pin-up'. It's through this exhibition I discovered the supremely talented F.C.B Cadell. Every artist in this exhibition has been a revelation and a joy, and I still haven’t tired of the show, even as we near its end.
Come and visit The ARC to see these Scottish art titans for yourself, down south, before it closes!
