RSA Scottish Art
In the Chapel of St Jean, Tréboul
 | Artist: Anne Redpath |
| Title: In the Chapel of St Jean, Tréboul | |
| Year: c. 1954 | |
| Medium: oil on board | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the RSA/Bridgeman Library | |
| Description: Anne Redpath used colour as a central element in her still life and landscape paintings, which are both decorative and highly expressive. This painting, In the chapel of St Jean, Tréboul, shows the interior of the fishermen's chapel in the village of Tréboul in the far west of Brittany. Here the artist is exploring both the decorative and religious qualities of folk art, such as the carved and painted statuettes. The little shrine is simple and attractive, and Redpath has focused on it exclusively, choosing this small detail rather than depicting the entire interior of the church. The viewer is drawn to this arrangement of religious objects as though they were actually approaching the shrine to make an offering or say a prayer.The palette chosen is more restrained than in other Redpath paintings. However, the surface of the canvas remains lively and interesting through the textural manipulation of the paint and the scratching out of fine details. Redpath has portrayed several different materials in her painting: the rough textured stucco walls, the lacy fabric of the shrine and the carved wooden figures. Roughly applied paint has lent a rich, varied texture to the canvas, particularly on the walls and the starry ceiling.The composition of this work is almost completely symmetrical. But it is more true to say that the shrine itself is symmetrical, and that Redpath has chosen a frontal view which reflects the symmetrical nature of the shrine. How would this small religious arrangement have changed in meaning if viewed from the side or above? | |
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