Sometime before 1960 Scott suddenly eschews colour in favour of white and the work from this series shows stylistic side-step; from the colourful abstracted still life work of the late 1950s to paintings which some would describe as plainly abstract. Many critics were insistent that the artist’s work could be distinguished from that of many contemporary abstract artists because they saw it was still essentially rooted within the tradition of still life painting. Scott greatly admired the work of the American Abstract Expressionists, in particular that of Mark Rothko and perhaps that offers some insight into his tonal shift into the more impressionistic, experiential feeling.

In the present work, a cooler, opalescent shade of white discretely occupies much of the composition, forming a structural basis that frames the irregular, creamy oblong forms with pink and yellow undertones. Here there is ambiguity in discerning between positive and negative space, a subtle juxtaposition of shades of white, giving the composition an organic, rhythmic quality. Despite being executed in an extremely limited palette, rather than feeling spare, the painting feels balanced due to Scott’s mastery of formal qualities, which give way to a tonal, meditative feel.