‘Tulips’
Exhibited RA 1915
Signed & inscribed verso
Oil on canvas 20″ x 24″
Emily Court ROI
British 1880 – 1957
Born in Newport, Essex, Emily Court studied at the Slade School in London, under the excellent tutorage of the artists Frederick Brown, Henry Tonks, Philip Wilson Steer and Sir Walter Russell. Although she painted landscapes and marines, it was for her flower paintings that she received the greatest success, winning the Carnegie Institute Flower Prize in Washington DC.
This painting Tulips, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1915, is a wonderful example of Emily Court’s work. She has adopted a fluid brush-stroke, simplicity of composition and cool palette to paint a most charming still-life study. Emily Court has used a subtle range of muted colours to depict the city’s skyline seen through the window, and this effectively contrasts with the pastel colours of the tulips. The vase of tulips is framed by the gentle drape of the curtains, and she balances the symmetry of the painting, with the dish of mixed grapes in the foreground. A diffused light from the window illuminates the scene, highlighting the casually arranged objects, producing a study of hypnotic quietude.
Emily Court exhibited regularly in London, at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Oils, the New English Art Club, and in the provinces. In 1933 she also exhibited in France, along with French Artists. Emily Court was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Oils and the New Society.
© Sutcliffe Galleries 2018