Desert 1989

Mary Fedden painted this landscape, Desert, in 1959, and the first thing I see is the dance of light and shadow across the sandy dunes. It’s like watching a stage set change with the shifting sun. The colors are muted, mostly earth tones, but then BAM, this surprise of a lavender sky! Fedden’s brushwork is so direct. You can almost feel the drag of the bristles across the canvas. Down in the lower left corner is what seems to be the ruin of a building, like a little abstract puzzle. And then this pale river snaking through the scene, splitting like veins. It’s as if the desert itself is breathing. You know, I see echoes of someone like Milton Avery in Fedden's approach, but she brings a uniquely British sensibility to it all. Fedden isn't afraid to leave things open, unresolved. And that's what makes this painting so alive.