Artwork Analysis: The Orange Blind -- Esther

As was the way of the Scottish Colourists, Francis Cadell’s (1883-1937) work was strongly shaped by the French artists of his day. Not only were the French painters considered new, exciting & somewhat unconventional, their ideas & style were not universally appreciated. & in this instance, by “universally” I mean in Scotland. That said, Cadell remained here & his subjects were avowedly Scottish, despite his aesthetic influences. On the one hand, he was known for portraying grand & stylish Edinburgh interiors, on the other, he painted seascapes on the island of Iona. 

In times of hardship, art is often mistakenly seen as a luxury. Although he didn’t make much of a living as a painter, Cadell’s family was well-off & he was able to maintain a reasonable lifestyle. Now this post isn’t about Cadell himself so if you want to get some sense of the man, I recommend a look at his wiki entry for the story of his being left-handed. What a chancer.

One of Cadell’s key works was Interior, The Orange Blind (c.1914). The title & the composition leads us to believe the painting is about the room & particularly the blind. Yet despite the blind’s vibrancy & size, our eyes are drawn towards the seated woman towards the right. It seems to me the subject is the orange itself.

Composition:

In The Orange Blind, Cadell makes use of every conventional compositional trick in the book. When we looked at Jan Steen’s A School for Boys & Girls (8th August), it was all there too: the diagonal, the rule of three & use of light. Not only does the blind itself dictate where we look, it also sits smack in the top centre third of the composition, cheekily nudging its way into the next third down. In this way, Cadell also shows us the height of the room & cunningly evokes a certain type of room, house, flat common (but expensive) in Scotland’s Central Belt residences. 

We have the diagonal thanks largely here to the colour contrast along the back of the chaise longue. The screen on the left is another clever devise that further breaks up the image, but also showcases the fashionable aspect of the room. At the turn of the twentieth century, chinoiserie was all the rage in Europe. For us, the screen places the room in a past time, but at the time it would have represented the terrifically modern. Overall, when we look more closely at Cadell’s image, Steen’s composition proves – almost unbelievably - more subtle. Predictably for a Colourist then, the point here is Cadell’s handling of colour.

The Orange:

Orange is often associated with warmth (here the sun is evidently shining brightly in order to illuminate the room in this way) & energy but the scene is otherwise sedate. Perhaps we are looking at the unconventional home of an unconventional owner. I have read the orange in this painting described as “strident,” “dominant” & even “aggressive.” At worst, I might call it “bold.” But whether we enjoy it or not, the orange is highly effective. & it’s gratifying to think that over a hundred years on, it can still provoke an irritated reaction. 

Cadell is a colour expert. He knows what he’s doing & we should just trust him. He moves us across the room (mostly on a diagonal plane) using the dazzling orange of the blind repeated in little touches here & there over the picture. Nearest the blind is the shadow on the floor, the reflections on the picture frame, the chair cushion & the side of the piano (& did you even see the guy playing piano there? Or did it take another look? I confess it was years before I spotted him…) But then it’s replicated in the crystal of the chandelier, the decoration on the tapestry & along all the edging of the chaise longue, the flower on the woman’s lap & even in the hue of her hand (or is it a glove?) There are even tiny highlights on the tea set – all this moves our gaze around whilst also unifying the piece as a whole.

The Woman:

Perhaps it is the woman who is unconventional & the subject really is her after all. Perhaps the orange is there to emphasise this. Although she seems fashionably dressed & dignified, it doesn’t feel to me as if it’s her home. She doesn’t seem entirely comfortable or about to stay long. & why is her hand placed on the seat? Is she inviting her to sit with her or ensuring we don’t? Is someone else coming? Is she about to pour the tea or waiting to be served? What music is being played? Is that affecting her too? On several levels the woman is an inscrutable presence. The brilliant but impressionistic rendering of her face in particular anonymises her. If The Orange Blind has a narrative at all, it’s about the mystery woman. 

The Details:

At a glance, The Orange Blind is loosely defined, perhaps even sketchy. But the tea set & chandelier provide platforms to stage Cadell’s incredible powers as a still life artist. You can imagine these days that if that tableware was to appear in any antique sale, the auctioneer would be going spare & taking internet bids for thousands. Bringing the table to the front of the composition allows Cadell to show off a little. A screenshot displays the detail & skill involved to better effect.

& although the effect of Impressionism is often hazy, we can clearly discern a wide variety of textures through Cadell’s masterful treatment of the paint: the shiny bowl on top of the piano, the woman’s fur coat, the carpet featuring all the shadows & reflected sunshine, the crisp tablecloth, the chaise longue patterning, the metallic surfaces. 

Hone in on the chandelier & an almost abstracted image is revealed. Bizarrely it even appears to have a mild sparkle to it.

Almost as enigmatic at the woman is the painting in the corner. Just as I’d be trying to read the titles on a shelf of books, I’m dying to know what picture that is. If anyone knows what the woman’s or the painting’s identities are, please answer in the comments. I’d also love to know what the pianist is playing, but I won’t push my luck.