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Notes
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Redpath wrote to Borchard: ‘... a self portrait in oil of me about 20-odd years ago. As you can imagine at 69 I don’t look like the portrait now, but it isn’t bad (I think)’ On the side of the letter is a crucial afterthought: ‘the date would have to be marked as I shouldn’t like anyone to think I paint myself 20 years younger.’ During the 1920s, Redpath and her architect husband settled in the south of France. In 1934, her marriage over, she returned to live in Scotland, and paint full-time. Around 1942 she started painting still life masterpieces. Close observation dispels any initial impression of severity. The glossy black hair contains some hints of blue and pink paint, as though even its dark sobriety was shot through with ‘colours’.
The beauty of the figure in relief against the scrambled beige and white background, and her concentrated repose, create a subtle atmosphere of enigmatic reserve. Yet she was also an outgoing personality. Her self portrait brings together seemingly disparate but inextricable parts of herself: her love of colour and liveliness against a background of rare sensitivity.
The Ruth Borchard Collection
Title
Self Portrait
Date
1943
Medium
oil on board
Measurements
H 53 x W 43 cm
Accession number
PCF101
Acquisition method
acquired by Ruth Borchard as part of the original collection
Work type
Painting
The Ruth Borchard Collection
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Stories
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