Iconic Fergussons

“Apologies for printing the beautiful painting by Scottish colourist John Duncan Fergusson sideways in Saturday’s Collecting column by Norman Watson. Here is the picture the right way round (see below):

“The Round House, as it is known in Perth, at the junction of Tay Street and Marshall Place, is formally titled The Fergusson Gallery and is home to the largest collection of works in existence by Fergusson (1874-1961),” says Norman.

“It was built as Perth’s waterworks in 1832 with a nod to Rome’s Pantheon, but will eventually close as a gallery if Perth City Hall turns into a new cultural hub. I am thus emboldened to illustrate something from its current exhibition, Iconic Fergussons, a collection of the artist’s most important works.

“Head with Roses (Jean Brandt), oil on canvas, was painted by Fergusson in 1952, quite late in his career. The sitter was a dance student of the artist’s long-time partner, the choreographer Margaret Morris. Brandt was the sister of John McLennan, a Glasgow publisher who had produced Fergusson’s Modern Scottish Painting in 1943.

Fergusson has long been considered at the forefront of modern British art. One of the four Colourists, he drew inspiration from the French Impressionist and Fauvist schools, which emphasised painterly qualities and strong colour.

“He studied at The Louvre and, from 1905, mixed with the likes of Picasso and Matisse in his Paris studio, while harnessing every vibrant colour to his palette.”