Everard Read London presents an exhibition of new paintings by South African artist, Caryn Scrimgeour.
Scrimgeour’s paintings are a manifestation of her intense attention to detail and an extraordinary command of her palette. The artist’s immaculate table settings intrigue and fascinate by juxtaposing fragile and precious keepsakes with everyday objects, each exquisitely rendered.
“There is a light that falls at certain hours, low and oblique, that seeks out the things that often go unseen or unnoticed, revealed only by the shadows they cast,” observes Scrimgeour. “In this body of work, that light moves across silk embroidered tablecloths and ornate porcelain, over pinned wings and ever-watchful birds, over gifts left unopened, torn fragments of paper and loosely tangled threads. It captures the animation of life; of falling petals and butterflies in mid-flight, birds momentarily stilled in their flitting, bees foraging and a fly briefly settling.”
Rich in symbolism, Scrimgeour’s work is reminiscent of still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. The artist uses ephemeral objects – butterflies, petals, a glistening fig – to remind us of our transience and fragility.