JD Fergusson, Le Manteau Chinois, 1909, oil on canvas (Featured in the Early Impressions exhibition) Courtesy Perth & Kinross Council.
Exhibition preview: Early Impressions April 12 - September 3 2008 and Fergusson’s Studio April 17 - November 1 2008, at The Fergusson Gallery in Perth.
The Fergusson Gallery is to host two new exhibitions spanning different periods in the artist life of John Duncan Fergusson.
‘Early Impressions’ focuses on the time between 1897, when he visited Paris, until 1907, when he succumbed to the bohemian atmosphere and popularity of the city with other artists and moved there.
Over those ten years he drew inspiration from the colourful and vibrant work of the Impressionists and in particular artists such as James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arthur Melville, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Samuel John Peploe.
Black and white photograph of Fergusson standing in his Paris studio (for ‘Fergusson’s Studio’). Courtesy Perth & Kinross Council.
He became involved in the heady and creative spirit of bohemia upon moving to Montparnasse, Paris, an area favoured by foreign artists, which became evident in his vibrant work at this time.
During this period a group called the Fauves (wild beasts), were considered to be the leaders of Parisian avant-garde art. They included in their number Henri Matisse, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck.
They caused a sensation at the 1905 annual exhibition of the Salon d’Automne where their use of bright colours, flat perspective and outlining objects in dark colours, made a huge impact on Fergusson’s work.
The second exhibition, ‘Fergusson’s Studio’, allows visitors the rare opportunity to glimpse the artist in his various studios. Fergusson’s work evolved over the years with the changing locations having a large impact.
He worked in studios in Edinburgh, Paris, Cap d’Antibes in the South of France, and finally Scotland again, where he settled in Glasgow with dancer Margaret Morris, who became his muse.
A new facility at the Gallery also gives visitors the opportunity to use free materials and be inspired by Fergusson’s work to create their own paintings.
