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Lot Essay
Rich in vibrant colour and expressionistic brushstrokes, Still Life With Tulips and Oranges is an example of George Leslie Hunter's unique ability to handle colour, form and texture in striking harmony.
The influences of the Fauves and Post-Impressionists, who informed the work of the Scottish Colourists, can be clearly seen in this glowing composition. Set against a stark white background, the saturated colours and the blunt forms of the fruit and flowers glow with warm luminosity. In a review in The Times in 1923, friend and biographer Thomas Honeyman observed that 'Mr Hunter loves paint and the flatness of paint. He loads it on lusciously ... his still life paintings are strong and simple in design and gorgeous in colour’ (The Times, T.J. Honeyman papers, National Library of Scotland, 1923, p. 85). This still life is testament to the treatment of the simplicity of the still life subject here. The brightness of colours adds to the hyper-sensory appeal of the work, through which citrus and floral perfumes seep from the blooming petals and orange peel, to the very edge of the painting. Hunter’s philosophy was that nature should be at the very heart of modern art, he frequently took inspiration from the landscape around him. Succulent oranges populate Hunter’s still lifes, perhaps the subject was a favourite of his, given that part of his childhood was spent on a Californian ranch where his family farmed the fruit.
Cutting across the composition, the heavy brocaded floral drape is depicted with thick layers of expressionistic impasto. Through its careful positioning, Hunter seeks to connect the patterned drapery in background with the tulips in the centre. Brushstrokes mimic weaved patterns of thread and the colours are layered into black tones suggesting rich, sumptuous folds of fabric. Similar in style to contemporary works of Edgar Degas the cropped frame creates a sense of spontaneity, bringing a modern vigour to a traditional subject. It has been suggested that the ornate fabric, perhaps Japanese or Persian in its influence, is borrowed from motifs found in Henri Matisse's work. Hunter was known to admire the work of Matisse, especially The Pink Tablecloth c.1924–1925, owned by one of Hunter's patrons, William McInnes. Hunter had persuaded McInnes to purchase the picture whilst they were in Paris in 1925. The work proved a source of inspiration for Hunter, as he would often sit admiring it for hours.
Between 1927 and 1929 Hunter lived permanently in South of France. Painted in the mid to late 1920s, this work was conceived at a time when Hunter was actively painting still lifes, much to the encouragement of Honeyman. With a demand in the commercial market for his still lifes, Hunter painted many during this period. Hunter’s earlier still lives traditionally used strong chiaroscuro of rich colouring contrasted against dark backgrounds. These early works referenced the realism of the Barbizon school of painters and the work of Dutch Golden Age painter, Willem Kalf. In the mid to late 1920s when Hunter set up studio in the South of France his work became invigorated by a renewed lightness. The bright whiteness of this still life demonstrates a shift in his treatment of light and colour, perhaps as a result of the warmth of the Mediterranean sun on his environment. One can imagine intense natural light pouring into the studio and touching every ridge, surface and dusty crevice of the room, further illuminating the glowing colours of the tulips, drapery and fruit. Rather fittingly, Hunter mused on his artistic approach in a contemporary diary entry: ‘Everyone must choose his own way and mine will be the way of colour’ (G.L. Hunter, quoted in T.J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists, London, 1950, p. 103). Still Life With Tulips and Oranges is a testament to Hunter’ philosophy and displays the best characteristics of his work and life as a colourist.
The influences of the Fauves and Post-Impressionists, who informed the work of the Scottish Colourists, can be clearly seen in this glowing composition. Set against a stark white background, the saturated colours and the blunt forms of the fruit and flowers glow with warm luminosity. In a review in The Times in 1923, friend and biographer Thomas Honeyman observed that 'Mr Hunter loves paint and the flatness of paint. He loads it on lusciously ... his still life paintings are strong and simple in design and gorgeous in colour’ (The Times, T.J. Honeyman papers, National Library of Scotland, 1923, p. 85). This still life is testament to the treatment of the simplicity of the still life subject here. The brightness of colours adds to the hyper-sensory appeal of the work, through which citrus and floral perfumes seep from the blooming petals and orange peel, to the very edge of the painting. Hunter’s philosophy was that nature should be at the very heart of modern art, he frequently took inspiration from the landscape around him. Succulent oranges populate Hunter’s still lifes, perhaps the subject was a favourite of his, given that part of his childhood was spent on a Californian ranch where his family farmed the fruit.
Cutting across the composition, the heavy brocaded floral drape is depicted with thick layers of expressionistic impasto. Through its careful positioning, Hunter seeks to connect the patterned drapery in background with the tulips in the centre. Brushstrokes mimic weaved patterns of thread and the colours are layered into black tones suggesting rich, sumptuous folds of fabric. Similar in style to contemporary works of Edgar Degas the cropped frame creates a sense of spontaneity, bringing a modern vigour to a traditional subject. It has been suggested that the ornate fabric, perhaps Japanese or Persian in its influence, is borrowed from motifs found in Henri Matisse's work. Hunter was known to admire the work of Matisse, especially The Pink Tablecloth c.1924–1925, owned by one of Hunter's patrons, William McInnes. Hunter had persuaded McInnes to purchase the picture whilst they were in Paris in 1925. The work proved a source of inspiration for Hunter, as he would often sit admiring it for hours.
Between 1927 and 1929 Hunter lived permanently in South of France. Painted in the mid to late 1920s, this work was conceived at a time when Hunter was actively painting still lifes, much to the encouragement of Honeyman. With a demand in the commercial market for his still lifes, Hunter painted many during this period. Hunter’s earlier still lives traditionally used strong chiaroscuro of rich colouring contrasted against dark backgrounds. These early works referenced the realism of the Barbizon school of painters and the work of Dutch Golden Age painter, Willem Kalf. In the mid to late 1920s when Hunter set up studio in the South of France his work became invigorated by a renewed lightness. The bright whiteness of this still life demonstrates a shift in his treatment of light and colour, perhaps as a result of the warmth of the Mediterranean sun on his environment. One can imagine intense natural light pouring into the studio and touching every ridge, surface and dusty crevice of the room, further illuminating the glowing colours of the tulips, drapery and fruit. Rather fittingly, Hunter mused on his artistic approach in a contemporary diary entry: ‘Everyone must choose his own way and mine will be the way of colour’ (G.L. Hunter, quoted in T.J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists, London, 1950, p. 103). Still Life With Tulips and Oranges is a testament to Hunter’ philosophy and displays the best characteristics of his work and life as a colourist.