Abstracted Building in Winter - Mary Fedden

A semi-abstract watercolour and gouache painting by Mary Fedden, created in 1975, depicting a simplified building in a winter setting. The artwork features bold colours and geometric forms, reflecting Fedden's distinctive style.

This untitled work by British artist Mary Fedden (1915-2012), created in 1975, presents an abstracted building in a winter setting. Fedden, known for her still lifes and semi-abstract compositions, often employed a distinctive colour palette and simplified forms. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and later taught at the Royal College of Art, influencing a generation of British painters. Her work blends elements of Post-Impressionism with a modern sensibility. The painting features a large, blocky structure rendered in orange and blue, set against a snowy white ground and a grey sky. The building's form is simplified to basic geometric shapes, with minimal detail. The use of colour is bold and direct, creating a striking contrast between the warm orange of the building and the cool blues and whites of the surrounding environment. The composition is spare, focusing attention on the interplay of colour and shape. The horizon line is suggested by a few horizontal strokes, adding a sense of depth to the otherwise flat picture plane. The overall effect is one of quiet contemplation, capturing the stark beauty of a winter scene through a modern, abstract lens.