Modernism first began in Britain just after the First World War, with artists developing increasingly abstract work. Following from this in the post 1935 period artist such as Ben Nicholson settled in St Ives, Cornwall which became a centre of progressive painting and sculpture.
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In 1955, in an article in 'The Artist' magazine, Fedden wrote: “I really float from influence to influence. I found the early Ben Nicholson's fascinating as were the paintings of his wife Winifred. I also admire the Scottish artist Anne Redpath and the French painter Henri Hayden.” DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 15.0 x 21.0 cm/5.9 x 8.3 ins SIGNATURE:Signed ‘Fedden’ and dated (lower left) MEDIUM: Gouache -
This lovely drawing is from a period in Knight’s career when she was fully established as an artist. As ever, she was engrossed with the art of performance, in particular with ballet and the theatre. Knight would spend her time sketching either in London’s many parks and gardens, or backstage at the Royal Opera House, favouring performances and rehearsals of the Bolshoi Ballet. Dimensions: (unframed) 50.0 x 35.0 cm/19.7 x 13.8 ins Signature: Signed ‘Laura Knight’ (lower right) Medium: Pencil on paper -
David Shepherd created detailed, realistic depictions of endangered wildlife such as tigers, elephants, and rhinoceros, captured mid-movement in their natural habitat. Shepherd notably dedicated some of his profits to the conservation of wildlife and their habitats, thereby helping protect the animals he intimately painted. Dimensions: (unframed) 30.5 x 50.8 cm/12.0 x 20.0 ins Signature: Signed and dated '89 (lower right) Medium: Oil on canvas -
This is a study for a picture of the same subject exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1904, no. 326. This is a prime example of David Murray working on rural subject matters, depicting this tranquil scene in Flatford, Sussex. Dimensions: (unframed) 60.96 cms x 91.44 cms /24.00 ins x 36.00 ins Signature: Signed David Murray (lower right) Medium: Oil on canvas -
Kuhfeld is the only child of a German prisoner of war and an English classical pianist. Between 1972 and 1976 he studied at Leicester School of Art. He worked from 1976 to 1978 at Rugby School of Art, where he gave lessons in drawing and painting, before securing a place at the prestigious Royal Academy School of Art. During 1977-80 Kuhfeld studied under the painter Peter Greenham CBE, RA. In 1978 he was created a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Painters. While at the Royal Academy Schools Kuhfeld won various notable scholarships and prizes: 1978-79 David Murray Landscape Prize; 1979 Royal Academy of Art Silver Medal for Drawing, Royal College of Surgeons Dooley Prize for Anatomical Drawing; 1980 Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation Scholarship and Richard Ford Scholarship for study in Spain. Dimensions: (unframed) 84.0 x 142.0 cm/33.1 x 55.9 ins Signature: Signed (upper left) Medium: Oil on canvas -
Julian Barrow was known for his landscapes and paintings of country houses, conversation pieces and interiors. He studied painting in Florence under Signorina Simi and Pietro Annigoni. He regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and had one man shows at the Fine Art Society in London and at the W M Brady Gallery in New York. He travelled extensively in India, South East Asia, France, Italy and the USA. From the mid-60s until his death he lived and worked at his studio in Tite Street, Chelsea, London, a Victorian building of studios once occupied by John Singer Sargent, Whistler and Augustus John. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 45.7 x 61.0 cm/18.0 x 24.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed 'Rome 5am' (lower right) MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Born in Bristol in 1915, Mary Fedden is renowned for her unique perspective and great talent for finding beauty in the everyday. She worked with bold palettes and simplified shapes, carefully orchestrating her still life compositions to draw out the extraordinary from ordinary objects. In fact, it was her constant progression and development throughout her career that makes her overall body of work so interesting; from her earlier pieces playing with colour, perspective, and patterns to her later work experimenting with light, texture, and crisper, cleaner lines. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 50.8 x 40.6 cm/20.0 x 16.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed M.Fedden and dated 1946 (lower right) MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
In this incredible painting, Dame Laura Knight depicts dancing in the evening of the annual May Day Fair on Hampstead Heath in London, which is known as 'Appy 'Ampstead. Through the colourful and energetic narrative, Knight manages to capture the excitement felt during the celebrations, drawing the viewer into the painting. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 30.0 x 25.0 ins/ 76.2 x 63.5 cm SIGNATURE: Signed 'Laura Knight' (lower right) MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Sir William Russell Flint, one of the most celebrated British painters of the 20th century, has enjoyed almost constant popularity since the 1920s. His best work reflects a genuine greatness in watercolour technique . The Times’ obituary paid tribute to his exceptional mastery of the watercolour medium: ‘Sir William Russell Flint, RA, who has died at the age of 89, will be chiefly remembered as a watercolourist of remarkable technical skill. Though he painted also in oils and tempera and produced a considerable number of etchings and dry-points, his most characteristic works were watercolour landscapes and figure compositions, elaborately carried out and displaying great virtuosity, in the gradations of a wash and a special manner of enriching its effect by taking advantage of a grained surface paper’. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 49.5 x 67.3 cm/19.5 x 26.5 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed verso MEDIUM: Watercolour -
Harold Sawkins, editor of The Artist Journal, claimed in 1935 that Dorothea sharp was ‘one of England’s greatest living woman painters’. He declared that: “No other woman artist gives us such joyful paintings as she. Full of sunshine and luscious colour, her work is always lively, harmonious and tremendously exhilarating … her subjects appeal because they are based on the joy of life … the chief attractions of Miss Sharp’s delightful pictures are her happy choice of subjects, and her beautiful colour schemes’’ DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 63.5 x 76.2 cm/25.0 x 30.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Mary Fedden’s appeal lies on her talking to your imagination and your memories, to the colours of the sea, to the rosy exhilaration of the landscapes or the tranquility of a cup of tea by the sea. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 19.0 x 24.0 cm/7.5 x 9.4 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and dated 1992 and inscribed 'for Joyce' MEDIUM: Gouache on paper -
Sir Alfred Munnings was a leading figure in the British art establishment in the first half of the 20th century and is one of the greatest equestrian painters in the history of British art. Although it was his horse portraits that brought him widespread acclaim, he was also a highly accomplished painter of pure landscapes. What sets Munnings apart from so many other artists of his era is his sheer ability as a painter, which is apparent in these landscapes, the freedom and spontaneity of his brushstrokes and his obvious enjoyment in the lusciousness of the paint itself combined brilliantly with his subtle and highly individual colouring. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 16.5 x 24.1 cm/6.5 x 9.5 ins each SIGNATURE: Both initialled MEDIUM: Oil on canvas, a pair -
Sir Alfred Munnings was one of the finest British Impressionist painters of the 20th century. His work largely depicts rural scenes, racing and hunting, and most commonly his favourite animal, the noble horse. He was an important addition to the Newlyn School of artists. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 50.8 x 40.6 cm/20.0 x 16.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and dated 1904, inscribed verso MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Lee-Hankey won a gold medal at the Barcelone International Exhibition in a bronze medal in Chicago. His work is represented in collections both in England and abroad. Exhibitions include: the Royal Academy; the Old Watercolour Society; the New Watercolour Society; the Royal Institute of Painters in Oil Colours. In 1936 he became a member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours, and was elected president in 1947. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 11.5 x 13.5 ins/ 29.2 x 34.3 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Frederick Hall was a British artist whose work is characterised by his Impressionistic style, whilst concurrently focusing on the romantic subjects of landscapes, rustic subjects and portraits. He was a member of the Newlyn School in Cornwall. It was during his time at the Newlyn School that his style shifted from focusing on the subjects of social realism to that of the impressionist mode. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 12.2 x 15.7 ins / 31.0 x 40.0 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Oil on board -
For Ken, painting is about three things. It is about revelation, communication and celebration. By revelation, he means giving people a way of seeing, revealing the world around them in a way they have never seen before, opening their eyes. By communication, he means revealing the world with a personal language, speaking directly in an instantly recognisable style. He wants it to celebrate life whether it be human dignity expressed by Velasquez or Cezanne, or the wonders of nature expressed by Corot and Monet. For Ken his main inspiration is light and it is through light that he wants to celebrate his world. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 50.5 x 61.0 cm/19.9 x 24.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed 'Ken Howard' (lower right) MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
In this striking view of Pont Mirabeau in Paris, the physical location plays second fiddle to the technical structure of the composition, with only a brief visual reference to Le Trocadero on the horizon. We have to remember that although we are now quite used to seeing pictorial arrangements like this in the 21st Century, when this oil on board was executed in 1913, his work was incredibly avant-garde, challenging much of the sentimental landscapes that were still being reproduced by the bulk of commercial Edwardian artists in Britain. -
William Lee-Hankey was born in Chester, England in 1869. Hankey is notable for his paintings of French harbour scenes, figurative subjects and English country life. This painting is a wonderful example of this, as Hankey depicts the small, fishing-port town of Dieppe in France, reflecting the beauty he sees in everyday life. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 49.5 x 59.7 cm/19.5 x 23.5 ins SIGNATURE: Signed MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Nicholson primarily produced still-life, landscapes and portraits. His delicate landscapes look back, recalling the tradition of romantic British landscape, realised in soft, hazy hues. Portraiture constituted his main source of income: his early sitters were mainly children but during his career he painted numerous aristocratic ladies, businessmen, politicians, military leaders and academics. These genres are, however, united by Nicholson's continual interest in the effects of light produced by oils - utilising the transparency of oils, Nicholson creates stunning yet subtle effects of darkness, shadow, reflection and illumination. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 30.5 x 39.4 cm/12.0 x 15.5 ins SIGNATURE: Monogrammed MEDIUM: Oil on panel -
Robert Bevan drew inspiration for subjects for painting from the countryside. He formed the habit of spending the summer on a painting trip in various rural locations such as a cottage called St Ives in Kingston near Lewes, Sussex), or in Russian Poland with his wife’s family. His work at this time reflected his first-hand experience with recent French art during his travels on the continent. Oil paintings and watercolours of agricultural scenes of the South Downs or Poland provided motifs with which to explore his concerns with the effects of light and the use of colour. Philip Hendy (later Director of the National Gallery) claimed that Bevan was the first Englishman to use pure colour in the twentieth century and was the ‘real pioneer’ of the modern English school. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 34.0 x 25.0 cm/13.4 x 9.8 ins SIGNATURE: Studio stamp verso MEDIUM: Ink and wash -
Born in 1909, Daphne Charlton studied painting at the Slade School of Art. She married George Charlton, a fellow painter and teacher at the school, and the pair moved to 40 New End Square in 1932. In 1939, the Charltons became friends with Stanley Spencer, who had also studied at the Slade School of Art, who often visited them at their home in Hampstead. Daphne Charlton and Spencer sat for paintings for each other, and it is believed that they had an affair. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 51.0 x 61.0 cm/20.1 x 24.0 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed verso with label of New England Art Club MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Once determined on an artistic course, Williams’ passion for work was all-consuming and there was never any question as to his subject matter, with the landscape before him demanding to be drawn or painted. Venice, in particular, had always been an inspiration for Williams, first learning about Venetian painters like Canaletto and Guardi at Slade Art School, as well as those who visited including Monet, Turner and Sickert, to then being able to see the works he had admired for years in person, with his first visit to the city in 1950. As Williams states: ‘I had always loved its exuberance and lack of inhibition and now I was able to see some of the greatest paintings in the world’. Thus, Venice went on to be a place that inspired the artist for more than half a century, producing many paintings in a variety of media: oil, watercolour, drawings and ink. He was fascinated by the way the light mirrored on the ever-present water and the elegance of the city, but also chose to depict the more unseen angles of Venice unlike his peers. As with this ink drawing, The Doges Palace and Grand Canal Venice, Williams depicts a view of the city at night time, still maintaining his distinctive style by painting the mirrored light of Venice in the colours of North Wales, using dark tones and loose brushstrokes, putting his own impression on Venice. Although, you can still see the effect of light as the dominant feature. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 12.2 x 18.9 in./ 31.0 x 18.9 cm SIGNATURE: Monogrammed lower right MEDIUM: Ink on Paper -
Davie was uniformly pantheistic in his approach, seeking inspiration in runes, symbols and the mystical which cannot be easily comprehended by our modern Western eyes. In pursuing these spiritual interests entirely independently, the resulting artwork appears alien to and exists outside any structured artistic movement or stylistic tradition. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 45.7 x 57.9 cm/18.0 x 22.8 ins SIGNATURE: Signed 'Alan Davie' and dated (upper right) MEDIUM: Oil on paper and laid down on canvas -
Sir William Russell Flint, one of the most celebrated British painters of the 20th century, has enjoyed almost constant popularity since the 1920s. His best work reflects a genuine greatness in watercolour technique . The Times’ obituary paid tribute to his exceptional mastery of the watercolour medium: ‘Sir William Russell Flint, RA, who has died at the age of 89, will be chiefly remembered as a watercolourist of remarkable technical skill. Though he painted also in oils and tempera and produced a considerable number of etchings and dry-points, his most characteristic works were watercolour landscapes and figure compositions, elaborately carried out and displaying great virtuosity, in the gradations of a wash and a special manner of enriching its effect by taking advantage of a grained surface paper’. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 20.3 x 27.3 in./51.6 x 69.3 cm SIGNATURE: W. Russell Flint, l.r.; inscribed verso W. Russell Flint Chateauneuf-sur-Loire July 1963 MEDIUM: Watercolour -
Sir William Russell Flint, one of the most celebrated British painters of the 20th century, has enjoyed almost constant popularity since the 1920s. His best work reflects a genuine greatness in watercolour technique . The Times’ obituary paid tribute to his exceptional mastery of the watercolour medium: ‘Sir William Russell Flint, RA, who has died at the age of 89, will be chiefly remembered as a watercolourist of remarkable technical skill. Though he painted also in oils and tempera and produced a considerable number of etchings and dry-points, his most characteristic works were watercolour landscapes and figure compositions, elaborately carried out and displaying great virtuosity, in the gradations of a wash and a special manner of enriching its effect by taking advantage of a grained surface paper’. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 9.0 x 12.0 in./22.9 x 30.5 cm SIGNATURE:Signed lower left: W Russell Flint, signed again, titled and inscribed verso: Loch Nan Uamh (Western Highlands) MEDIUM: Watercolour -
This painting, from leading member of the Glasgow Boys, George Henry, depicts an elegant woman standing at a sundial in a stylistically painted garden. She stands opposite a Japanese lady in traditional clothing, who looks down at the two dogs in the foreground. The painting is representative of the elements that Henry learned throughout his career as a painter. The loose, expressive brushstrokes indicate the influence of the Impressionists upon Henry’s style. Similarly, the naturalistic use of colour and the idyllic subject matter demonstrate the departure from the saccharine Victorian style of painting, from which Henry and his group sought to remove themselves. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 24.0 x 22.0 in./61.0 x 55.9 cm SIGNATURE: Signed 'George Henry' (lower left) MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
Fred Hall interpreted his surroundings with a light touch and a realistic approach. He spent a considerable amount of time in Newlyn painting 'en plein air'. Newlyn had a number of things guaranteed to attract artists: fantastic light, cheap living, and the availability of inexpensive models. The artists were fascinated by the fishermen’s working life at sea and the everyday life in the harbour and nearby villages. DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 12 x 14 in./30.5 x 35.6 cm SIGNATURE: dedicated lower right: Fred Hall to W.R.W., label on verso: Vose Galleries signed on back Thulin 1917 296 MEDIUM: Oil on panel
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DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 9.0 x 12.0 in./22.9 x 30.5 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower right MEDIUM: Oil on panel
This work is a refreshing change from Mellon’s paintings of Gorleston and would be a unique addition to a discerning collection. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed)13.5 x 9.76 in./ 34. 3 x 24.8 cm SIGNATURE: Monogrammed ‘PN’ and signed ‘Nash’ lower right MEDIUM: Watercolour and pencil
Here, Nash has depicted the gardens of his parents’ home Wood Lane House at Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire. The property had been specially built for the family in 1901 and included a plot of about an acre and a half, bordered by great elm trees and carefully planted with maturing shrubbery. The morning room, which Nash used as a studio, looked over what became known as the 'Bird Garden' and has been described by Roger Cardinal as 'where it all began' (R. Cardinal, The Landscape Vision of Paul Nash, London, 1989, p.63). -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 24.0 x 30.0 inches (61.0 x 76.2 cms) MEDIUM: Oil on canvasIn Phantoms from Knossos II, Terry Frost has used his signature circles and luminous colours to capture the atmosphere of the ancient city in Crete. Direct reference to the site are elicited through the mythological figures in the circles, reminiscent of medallion coins, that revolve around the bright, overpowering sun. Additionally the vibrant blues, yellows and reds conjure up the feeling of the warm Cretan sky and sun.
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DIMENSIONS: (unframed)16.0 x 12.0 in./40.6 x 30.5 cm SIGNATURE: NA MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
Daphne was the subject of a number of paintings and drawings by Spencer, and for works such as this she would pose daily for two to three weeks. It is known that Spencer would often reduce Daphne to tears in order for her to express some emotion in her face. For a self-confident, self-assured and remarkably independent woman, this was no mean feat, and Daphne remarked that no-one else would be capable of it, stating, “I don’t know how, he had the power”. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 29.1 x 21.3 in./ 74.0 x 54.0 cm SIGNATURE: Signed and dated lower right MEDIUM: Oil and mixed media on paper
This work is in Heath's signature medium of oils and is the epitome of his abstracted work. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 48.0 x 72.0 in./122.0 x 183.0 cm SIGNATURE:Signed , titled and dated on the reverse MEDIUM: Oil, polystyrene and wood on canvas In the year that Lanyon painted Climb Out, he wrote: ‘I believe that landscape, the outside world of things and events larger than ourselves is the proper place to find our deepest meanings… I want to make the point that landscape painting is not a provincial activity as it is thought by many to be in the United States, but a true ambition like the mountaineer who cannot see the clouds without feeling the lift inside them. These things take us in to places where our trial with forces greater than ourselves, where skill and training and courage combine to make us transcend our ordinary lives’ (The Artist from ‘Some Aspects in Modern British Painting: An Artist’s Point of View’, lecture for the British Council in Czechoslovakia, 27th January 1964). This is the perfect statement of his aims and ambitions for the gliding paintings. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 8.0 x 8.0 in/20.3 x 20.3 cm. SIGNATURE: signed and dated "Heath, '65" lower right MEDIUM: watercolour, chalk and graphite on paper -
Dorothea Sharp established her reputation as a significant figure in 20th Century British painting. Her work is characterised by her ability to capture the clarity of light, her bright use of colour and the spontaneity of her brushwork. Sharp believed colour to be as important as form in the creation of a work and painted quickly with a heavily loaded brush. These ideas and techniques were learnt in Paris where she became influenced by the Impressionists, particularly by Monet. T The bright light in this charming painting further reflects her Impressionist teachings. Her pictures have a fresh colour palette, sense of movement and warmth that fit perfectly with her subjects. In the same way, her mastery of the impressionistic style imbues her canvases with an almost dream-like sentimentality. Harold Sawkins, editor of The Artist Journal, claimed in 1935 that Dorothea sharp was ‘one of England’s greatest living woman painters’. He declared that: “No other woman artist gives us such joyful paintings as she. Full of sunshine and luscious colour, her work is always lively, harmonious and tremendously exhilarating … her subjects appeal because they are based on the joy of life … the chief attractions of Miss Sharp’s delightful pictures are her happy choice of subjects, and her beautiful colour schemes’’ DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 30 x 36 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed verso MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 28 x 36 ins SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas
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DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 9.8 x 9.3 in./ 24.9 x 23.6 cm MEDIUM: watercolour, chalk and graphite on paper -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 16.0 x 21.0 in./40.6 x 53.3 cm SIGNATURE: Signed and dated '59' lower right MEDIUM: Oil on paper and laid down on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 20 x 24 ins SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed verso MEDIUM: oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 22.75 x 19.75 ins SIGNATURE: Signed 'Nicholson' (on the reverse); signed again and dated 'NICHOLSON 1965' (on the backboard) MEDIUM: Ink and oil wash on paper, shaped, on the artist's prepared board
Pieces such as Olympia, take the concept of still life to its bare bones, and present a profound and timeless commentary on the tradition itself. By the early 1950’s, colour was beginning to play a much less crucial role in Nicholson’s art as the paintings regained the aesthetic purity of his earlier abstract work. Meanwhile, Nicholson’s unique ability to give the illusion of form with so few lines, reinforces the status of the paintings themselves as physical objects. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 26 x 23 in./ 66 x 59 cm SIGNATURE: Signed 'B. Cook' lower right MEDIUM: Oil on board -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 4.5 x 15.5 in./ 11.4 x 39.4 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Pencil on paper -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 35.00 x 47.00 ins 89.00 x 120.00 cms SIGNATURE: Signed MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 4.8 x 4.0 inches/ 12.2 x 10.2 cms SIGNATURE: Signed and inscribed "for Pat and David Xmas 81 Nicholson 81" on the reverse MEDIUM: Ink, wash and gouache on paper This striking work by Ben Nicholson was a gift to Barbara Hepworth’s assistant, David Lewis, for the Christmas of 1981.
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DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 12.0 x 16.0 in./ 30.5 x 40.6 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower right ‘KW’ MEDIUM: Watercolour and pencil Williams is best known for his passion for the rugged landscape of North Wales, and this particular piece depicts the area near the village of Rhosgadfan in Gwynedd; on the border of Snowdonia National Park. -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 30.0 x 40.0 in./ 76.20 x 101.60 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower right MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 25.50 x 37.50 in./ 64.77 x 95.25 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower right MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 11.0 x 16.0 in./27.94 x 40.64 cm SIGNATURE: Signed lower left MEDIUM: Oil on canvas -
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 19.75 x 19.75 ins 50.17 x 50.17cms SIGNATURE: Signed and dated lower left MEDIUM: Oil on canvas Still Life with Pear, Melon and Grapes is a painting by British artist Mary Fedden. Born in 1915, Fedden had a lifelong passion for art and left school at the age of sixteen to study at the Slade School of Art under the theatre designer Vladimir Polunin. Following her tutor’s lead, Fedden went on to work as a set painter at Sadler’s Wells and the Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street in London. This painting reveals Fedden’s career-long preoccupation with still life painting; a genre that she described as her ‘real love’. While the subject may be a traditional one, with a well established place in art history, Fedden rejected the classical origins of the genre with its symbolic significance and realistic representations; instead, Fedden followed the example of earlier Modernists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne who strove to break its formal stereotypes, reducing the subjects to their basic forms. Fedden always denied the symbolic significance of the objects in her still life paintings, instead seeing them simply as items that she enjoyed painting.
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Mary Fedden very much developed her own individual style of still life painting. In an article in 'The Artist' magazine, Fedden wrote: 'I really float from influence to influence. I found the early Ben Nicholson's fascinating as were the paintings of his wife Winifred. I also admire the Scottish artist Anne Redpath and the French painter Henri Hayden.' DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 31.50 x 35.50 ins 80.01 x 90.17 cms SIGNATURE: Signed and dated lower left MEDIUM: Oil on canvas