Figures in an Archway

This artwork immediately stands out for his eccentric use of non-naturalistic colour. Whilst the painting clearly depicts two figures standing in an alleyway, the purple palette lends a dreamlike quality to the work. Pepys demonstrates a Fauvist leaning with this choice to distort her colours, indicating that she wished to represent a scene that was more emotional than realistic. The image is also simplified to a basic form, using just enough geometric shapes to ensure a complete picture of the alleyway and its two inhabitants. Pepys’ ability to experiment with this heavy colour distortion and simplification of forms whilst still maintaining an easily understood narrative within the work establishes her as an immensely skilled artist.

Rhoda Pepys
Born Rhoda Kussell in 1914 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She studied at the Collegiate School of Arts and Crafts in Port Elizabeth and won the Silver Medal in 1934. In 1938, she married her husband Jack Pepys, who was an acclaimed medical professor. The two were politically active and campaigned for the rights of Black South Africans, eventually leaving their home country when the National Party was elected and began to implement apartheid.

Rhoda continued her artistic practice in her new home of London, and became well known for her portraits. She exhibited with the Royal Academy in 1966 and 1989, as well as the RBA in 1991. Other shows included with Hampstead Artists’ Council and Leicester Galleries, and she also had a solo show at the Barbican Centre in 1982.