? FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937) CASSIS, LE PORT Signed, oil on panel (44cm x 36cm (17.25in x 14in)) Provenance: Acquired in Glasgow between the Wars by the present owner's father-in-law Unseen in public since it was acquired by a private collector in Glasgow between the wars, Cassis, le Port, by the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell, captures the vibrancy of one of the south of France’s most beautiful waterfronts in a scene which remains virtually unchanged today. Cassis, le Port dates from the heyday of Cadell’s career, in the early 1920s. Following de-mobilisation after service in World War One, he bought an imposing property, 6 Ainslie Place, in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town. He decorated and furnished it in great style and it became the setting for and subject of many of his most celebrated paintings. His work of the period came to be characterised by cropped compositions, the flat application of paint and the use of increasingly brilliant colours, all of which he explored with his New Town neighbour, friend and fellow Scottish Colourist S. J. Peploe. Cadell’s studio-based practice was enriched by working out of doors during the summer months, often on the Hebridean island of Iona, but in 1923 and 1924 he travelled to Cassis; on the latter visit he was accompanied by Peploe, his wife Margaret and their sons Willy and Denis. As Alice Strang has explained: ‘By the mid-1920s Cassis had become popular with artists. It was a small seaport, set in front of a ridge of limestone hills topped by a castle, with a picturesque, working harbour, charming side-streets and brilliant light.’ (Alice Strang. F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011, p.42). Writing from the Hotel Panorama in Cassis in 1923, Cadell explained the attractions of the area to his patron George Chiene: ‘I find this part of France most interesting to paint. The light is wonderfully brilliant even fierce – the weather is superb – Basking…This place has several points in common with Iona. The colour and formation of headlands etc and to some extent the sea…instead of, as in Iona, painting against time and trying to get finished before the next squall of rain, I can work as long as I feel disposed on one thing.’ (Letter of 19 March 1923, private collection on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, GMA AL/16) This sun-drenched image shows the harbour from the north side, possibly from the Place de Grand Carnot, looking north-east. Revealing his avant-garde credentials, Cadell placed the paving on which he stood in the very frontal plane at the lower left of the canvas. It gives way to the brightly-coloured boats moored alongside, which lead the eye over the water to the run of harbourside buildings behind which distant hills can be glimpsed. Dappled reflections, the barest suggestion of figures and throughout the brilliant Mediterranean light contribute to an overall sense of holiday bliss. Cadell exhibited and sold his paintings of Cassis to great success. His Register of Pictures, in which he recorded sales and gifts of his work, details ten in 1923, purchased by key patrons including J. J. Cowan Esq and Miss Jane Rough of Edinburgh, for prices from £30 to £50 each (the Register is on long-loan to the National Galleries of Scotland GMA AL/15/6). In 1924, a Cassis oil was sold at the Royal Glasgow Institute for £76 and the following year purchases from the Society of Eight exhibition included those by Lord Blanesburgh of London and G. W. Service of Glasgow (for between £8 and £12); in 1926 Cadell staged exhibitions of his work in 6 Ainslie Place, finding buyers for Cassis works in his upstairs neighbour, Arthur Ramage (£20) and Mrs Christina Hague of Edinburgh (£25). Such is the enduring importance of Cadell’s paintings of Cassis that they can be found in several public collections, namely The Fleming Collection (The White Villa, Cassis, acc.no FWAF/RF124) and Kirkcaldy Galleries (Cassis, acc.no.KIRMG:232); moreover they were a significant feature of the Cadell retrospective exhibition mounted by the National Galleries of Scotland in 2011 (see cat.no.s 43-46). We are grateful to Kirstie Meehan, Archivist, National Galleries of Scotland, for her help in researching this painting.