See Scottish Artists A-Z
  • 1 of 7
Girl in a Red Cloak
Enlarge
? The Artist's Estate / Bridgeman Art Library. All rights reserved.

Reference URL

Girl in a Red Cloak about 1920
  • Scottish Art
The sitter in this portrait is believed to be Dr Elsie Bain, a lifelong friend who Redpath met while studying in Edinburgh. It shows early evidence of Redpath?s interest in combining both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, a feature that was typical of her later work. After travelling to Italy on a scholarship in 1919, the influence of early Italian painting became apparent. The sitter is represented in profile against an elaborate background with a decorative frieze along the bottom, reminiscent of early Renaissance frescoes. The flat handling of the paint and limited palette are dramatically different to the vibrant colours and more expressive brushwork for which she is best known.

Glossary Open

Fresco

A wall painting applied to fresh, wet plaster so that the coloured pigment is absorbed into the surface of the wall.

Frieze

Derived from an element in classical architecture, it is used broadly to refer to any decorative horizontal band running along a wall or piece of furniture.

Palette

A hand-held board on which a painter lays out and mixes the colours he or she is using. By extension it is used to describe the range of colours employed by an artist.

Renaissance

A period in European culture from the 14th to the 16th centuries in which the visual arts flourished with advances in the treatment of anatomy and the use of perspective. It is particularly associated with Italy, where it began, though the term applies elsewhere. It is noted for a revival of interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.

Fresco, Frieze, Palette , Renaissance

Details

  • Acc. No. GMA 1646
  • Medium Oil on plywood
  • Size 59.70 x 54.20 cm
  • Credit Purchased 1977

See related artworks

Part of

Scottish Art