Spencer turned his attention to the subject of the Resurrection shortly after the end of the war. He tried a number of different ideas including a series of studies for a Resurrection which possibly was intended to accompany several other religious paintings from the immediate post-war period. This study, however, refers to a different area of interest, namely Spencer's wartime experiences as a soldier in Macedonia where he later recalled seeing a distant view of a hillside slashed with ravines, very much in the form of those depicted in the present painting. This work is also related to 'The Resurrection, Cookham', 1924-26, (Tate Gallery, London), in fact the painting appears to be the source of ideas for both the Tate and Aberdeen pictures.
We are very grateful to Professor Keith Bell for his help in cataloguing this lot