John Duncan Fergusson 1874-1961

Glasgow, Alex Reid & Lefevre;
Christie's, 19 April 1974, lot 63;
London, Fine Art Society;
New York, Mr and Mrs Alan Fortunoff

STRUCTURE This picture is unlined and in excellent condition with strong colours and rich impasto throughout. There are no signs of craquelure and the paint surface appears to be stable. The picture is clean and ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are no signs of retouching. FRAME This picture is contained in a decorative plaster moulded frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Quay at Dinard was painted c.1920 when Fergusson and his partner Margaret Morris went to the fortified town on the Normandy coast near St. Malo. Morris was a talented and innovative dancer who held annual summer school to teach her expressive form of dance. In 1920 Dinard was chosen as a destination and Fergusson accompanied her there, spending his days painting the landscapes around him. Few of the pictures painted during this trip are known and it is possible that this picture was the most significant painting made at Dinard. The delicate colouring of rose pinks and subtle mauves harks back to the pictures painted by Fergusson and his friend Peploe around 1910 when as young students they had travelled to the same area to paint. Ten years later Fergusson's style had become more sophisticated and abstracted, the geometric lines and curves of the harbour walls and the hull of the steamer moored offshore contrast with the broken lines of the azalea trees in bloom. The soft curves of the architecture are similar to the studies of rooftops and mountains at Cassis painted around 1913 and the remarkable series of pictures of submarines at Portsmouth Harbour made in 1918. This monumentality of forms was to find a later expression in the series of nudes painted in the 1930s and 1940s and even the late botanical studies which resemble flowers cut from sheet metal or polished marble.