Alexandra Gardner Scottish, Contemporary, 1945

Description

Footwear appears several times across Gardner's still lifes and figurative paintings, often isolated against a plain ground or placed on reflective surfaces, much like bottles or bowls in her studio arrangements. Gardner returned to the same objects from different viewpoints, treating them as stable motifs through which she could test structure, tone and reflection. The shoes themselves are traditional Scottish ghillie brogues. Ghillies are closely associated with Highland dress and Scottish formal wear, which adds a subtle autobiographical note.