Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981)

This painting probably depicts the coastline of the island of Skopolos, Greece. In a letter from Skopolos, dated May 1961, Winifred wrote to her son, Andrew, and his wife, Rosemary, 'This hotel is surrounded by lemon trees, madonna lilies, roses in profusion and abundance of every colour and perfume, white vine pergolas, the young tendrils of the vines very pale green against the blue of the sky and the aquamarine of the sea. White fishing town with white Byzantine churches one above the other on the rocks above the harbour where the fishing boats come in'. (A. Nicholson (ed.), Unknown colours paintings, letters, writings by Winifred Nicholson, London, 1987, p. 229).