Satyr (oil on card)

Painted boldly in subdued tones the subject of this imaginary woodland scene indicates a very early interest in Greek mythology, although this seems to have been a one-off experiment. Later Fergusson developed the mystical links between women and trees in his paintings of 'dryads' (tree spirits). This painting shows an obvious enjoyment of the creamy texture of the paint itself. Fergusson later described his perception of the 'essence' of Scottish painting as a concern for, 'quality of paint, which means paint that is living and not merely any sort of paint placed between containing lines like a map'. On his death in 1961 Fergusson left the largest collection of his works in existence to his partner, Margaret Morris (1891-1980). In 1963 she established the JD Fergusson Art Foundation, who subsequently gifted the entire collection, archive and copyright to Perth and Kinross District Council in November 1991.