Lunch in the port 1964

Mary Fedden, sometime last century, painted “Lunch in the port”, with oil on canvas. This is not a photographic painting, but it has an unusual and exciting color palette that is used to build the image and create a mood. The paint application is opaque, the brushstrokes are not concealed and help to build up a textural surface. The orange segments are a lovely focal point, drawn loosely with a strong colour and form. They are suggestive of more than just sliced fruit and also suggest the orange hues of the location. The fruit, vase and pot are almost like a cast of characters that you can relate to and build your own story around, in the same way that the artist has. Fedden was a British artist with a distinctive style, and she explored similar themes and techniques throughout her career. Think of artists like Henri Matisse and Patrick Heron who embraced simple forms and bold colors for their own unique purposes. Art is an ongoing conversation, isn’t it?