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Size (excluding frame): 16″ x 12″. 40.7 cm x 30.5 cm
Medium: Oil on canvas
Signed and dated: “Fedden 1994” bottom right
Framing: Fine black and gilt moulding frame, modern and intentionally distressed
Provenance: Purchased from Julian Lax Fine Art in 2001. Private collection, Oxford.
MARY FEDDEN. BUNCH OF FLOWERS
‘Bunch of flowers’ is a fine example of Mary Fedden’s love for painting everyday, simple objects in gorgeous, bright colours. Mary’s paintings reflect her love of simple, everyday objects – flowers in a vase, jugs on a table, fruit, bottles of wine – always depicted with a brilliantly effective use of colour, as exemplified by this joyous painting.
Mary had an exceptionally long and illustrious life as an artist, but I have always thought that she was at her absolute peak in the mid-1990s, or to be even more specific, in 1993 and 1994. Obviously, this is my personal opinion, but I have seen a very large number of her paintings over the years and for some reason her paintings from this period often seem to stand out. ‘Bunch of flowers’ is a good example of what I mean and is very much the type of work that has made Mary Fedden a greatly loved figure in the art world.
If you are a lover of flower paintings, this is a great work that glorifies some of Mary’s favourites, including nasturtiums, crocuses and roses, plus maybe mallows and peonies… who knows!