Figures in a landscape

From the 1940s onwards Swanzy painted a number of pictures of crowds of surprised or foolish looking people: of men and women with staring, frightened eyes or open mouths, masks or foolish potato-like heads. Some are lean and spindly, while others are large. Some have imaginary animal or grotesque heads, or great hands or claws. The satirical element in Swanzy's work may have developed initially through an admiration for Goya and for William Orpen's humorous or satirical works. They display a sardonic view of the world around her, and sometimes a fantastical imagination. The present work is a characteristic example of this aspect of her work. It displays her distinctive incisive draftsmanship, and use of rich, varied colouring, for example in the green cloak, pink flesh, yellow robe and a red check jacket. The chalky, pastel-coloured sea and sky behind are expressive. As in The Canal [see lot 297], curious animal or human shapes seem to emerge from beneath the paint.
J.C.