Still Life with Onions - Mary Fedden

A minimalist still life by Mary Fedden, featuring simplified forms and a distinctive grey wash, captured in a 1987 gouache study.

Mary Fedden is recognised for her ability to find beauty in the mundane. This work, dated 1987, demonstrates her characteristic approach to the still life genre. Rather than pursuing photographic accuracy, Fedden focuses on the essential forms of her subjects. The composition is stripped back, presenting a large, pale onion alongside two smaller, darker forms. The background features a distinctive wash of grey pigment that appears to drip down the surface, adding a sense of spontaneity and texture to the work.

Fedden often utilised a flattened perspective, which allows the viewer to focus on the interplay of shape and colour. The use of a neutral, earthy ground provides a warm contrast to the cooler tones of the grey wash and the stark white of the primary subject. Her brushwork is direct and unpretentious, reflecting a career spent observing the domestic environment with a keen, discerning eye.

This piece exemplifies the artist's preference for simple arrangements. By reducing the objects to their basic silhouettes, she invites the viewer to consider the balance between positive and negative space. The work is signed and dated in the lower right, a common feature of her output. This print captures the tactile quality of the original gouache, preserving the subtle variations in paint application and the raw feel of the paper support. It is a representative example of her later period, where her style became increasingly concise and confident. The work avoids unnecessary detail, relying instead on the strength of its composition to convey a sense of quiet observation. It remains a clear expression of Fedden's unique visual language, which prioritised clarity and a personal, often playful, interpretation of everyday objects.