Anne Redpath

In a Venetian Church

About this artwork

During the 1950s, Redpath’s handling became much freer and she applied the paint more thickly, normally working with a palette-knife. She commented: “I couldn’t paint it smooth anymore. I had to paint it as if it were some kind of encrusted jewel. And while in a way they are more abstract than they were before, they are still quite real.” As a child Redpath had attended the Hawick Congregational Church and was fascinated by the ornamental trappings of the Catholic Church. Although she was not religious, Redpath delighted in the rich colourings of gold, silver and purple, and in the precious decoration of altarpieces. Redpath’s church paintings, such as this, mark a shift in both the character and style of her work.

Updated before 2020

see media
  • artist:
    Anne Redpath (1895 - 1965) Scottish
  • title:
    In a Venetian Church
  • date created:
    1963/4
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    61.00 x 50.90 cm; Framed: 81.00 x 71.00 x 5.70 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Scott Hay Collection: presented 1967
  • accession number:
    GMA 1060
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Anne Redpath

Anne Redpath