Alice Strang - The Scottish Colourists: Art and Life

Why are the Scottish Colourists so important?

The four artists, commonly known as the Scottish Colourists, FCB Cadell, JD Fergusson, GL Hunter, and SJ Peploe are Scotland's most celebrated artists of the 20th century. They were all born in the 1870s and 1880s in Scotland, and they all had an early first-hand experience of progressive French art, and they brought that innovation to their own easels.

You can summarise their work as having bold design, bravura brushwork, and of course, brilliant colour, which still resonates with us now. They brought a new spirit of life and energy to Scottish art, British art, and I would argue European art.

Why do they endure?

Each was exceptionally talented. If you create a wonderful work of art, it has lasting significance. But there is a very shared, common characteristic – a wonderful optimism and joie de vivre, a positivity. Whether it’s depicting Parisian cafés before the First World War, street scenes in Kirkcudbright, Edinburgh interiors or Iona scenes in the 1920s, these works are life enhancing.

What was the importance of Galloway to them?

Dumfries & Galloway had a very special place in the hearts of Cadell and Peploe in particular. Cadell had a great friend called Charles Edward Stewart, known as Ted. He was a lifelong supportive friend, long-suffering solicitor and an agent for Cadell’s work. His family home was Shambellie House, not far from Kirkcudright.

Bunty, as Cadell was affectionately known, used to often go and stay at Shambellie. So he has a very long-standing relationship with Dumfries & Galloway.

And then for Peploe, he and Fergusson shared the most amazing years in Paris before the First World War. Amongst their cohort of Anglo-Scottish-American artists were Jessie M King and EA Taylor. Before the war Jessie had bought the Greengate House and associated cottages on the High Street in Kirkcudbright. She and Taylor based themeselves there when the conflict began and Peploe began to visit them there.

He brought to his pictures of Kirkcudbright the fierce colour, the light, the boldness of palette that he had learned in France. And he continued to find subject matter for his brush in Dumfries & Galloway for well over a decade.

What will your talk cover?

I've found out loads of new stuff during my research for this book. So, even for those very familiar with the Scottish Colourists, I hope there will be plenty that’s new. For example, going through the British Newspaper Archive website, I found The Scotsman had reported on Cadell’s funeral and that he was buried in a Royal blue coffin - his favourite colour. He was a colourist to the end!

For people who have never heard of them, or perhaps just know the name Scottish Colourists, it’s a chance to see what the fuss is about, to be inspired by their life stories and their fantastic work. They might then visit the wonderful Peploe exhibition at Kirkcudbight Galleries.

How did you first encounter them?

I applied for a new curatorial post being created by the National Galleries of Scotland and despite reading history of art at Cambridge, I had never heard of the Scottish Colourists, who were such an important part of their collection. While I was preparing for my application, then the interview, I started researching them and thought “Wow, they're amazing!”.

During the very formal interview they had this little game with half a dozen postcards face down on the table, turning them over one at a time to see what you recognised. Two were by Peploe, and I was able to say, "Oh, the Scottish Colourist S J Peploe, and this is a still life painted about 1912”. I'm convinced that’s one of the reasons they gave me the job.

You can buy tickets for Alice's event on 4th October on our website.