Still Life

Mary Potter 1900 - 1981

Summary

A still life group consisting of a tall plain jug, just visible behind an ornate porcelain vase containing a single stem of leaves, a commemorative mug, and a footed fruit bowl containing three apples. There is a backdrop of a narrow window, through which a pale sky can be seen. Still Life was painted during Mary Potter’s wartime residency at Red Arch House in Hale, Manchester. A room in the house served as her studio and she painted the unremarkable domestic objects that were to hand: a tall coffee pot behind an ornate porcelain vase with a single stem of leaves, a commemorative mug and a fruit bowl. Potter painted casual arrangements of her objects in order to concentrate on the act of painting itself; balancing and contrasting shapes, colours and tones. She applied paint thickly with visible brushstrokes to create a textured surface with marks only approximating appearances. Still Life was displayed at the Design at Home exhibition at Manchester City Art Gallery in 1941. With their size, stillness and refusal to shout for attention, Potter’s paintings were well suited for the home.