Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA RSW

(British, 1883-1937)

Still Life with Oranges, Lemons and an Apple 44.5 x 59 cm. (17 1/2 x 23 1/4 in.)

Footnotes

Provenance
Sale; Christie's, Glasgow, 28 April 1987, Lot 633
With David Messum, London
Private Collection, Australia
Médecins Sans Frontières, Australia

The proceeds of sale of this work will support the work of Médecins Sans Frontières, a global organisation who offers assistance to populations in distress, victims of natural or man-made disasters and armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

A trip to Venice in 1910 proved to be a turning point in Cadell's artistic development, inspiring a newly confident use of colour and a loosening of technique. The feathery strokes he deploys in this work, gives a wonderful sense of freedom, which echoes that of the Impressionist artists but also the influence of Whistler. Cadell explored the genre of the still life throughout the pre-war period. Still Life with Oranges, Lemons and an Apple is a fine, early example of Cadell's orchestration of objects such as fruit and glassware. The vibrancy of the yellow, orange and green of the fruit glow against the dark counterpart of the objects in the background and commands immediate attention. It also demonstrates Cadell's preoccupation with the play of light on different materials. The speed of these brief dabs of white paint gives the work an air of spontaneous vigour and movement.