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Lot Essay
John Tunnard, who had studied design at the Royal College of Art, moved to Cornwall with his wife in 1933 and, apart from one short period, stayed there for the rest of his life. As with many other artists in Cornwall, Tunnard's work was profoundly affected by his surroundings, though the detailed response differed a lot at different periods. In the early 1930s the paintings were near-realistic, but by the mid-1930s became increasingly abstract. Klee and Miro were key influences. The present work was completed at a time when Tunnard was basking in the success of the Guggenheim Jeune exhibition in March - April 1939, but becoming increasingly worried about the likely war. By this time he was in contact with many other British artists - correspondence with Henry Moore and Ben Nicholson, and also chats with Nicholson whenever they met, (both lived in Cornwall and Nicholson had an influence on the more abstract of Tunnard's paintings for several years). Whenever Tunnard visited London, he met Julian Trevelyan, who was the artist with whom Tunnard felt most at ease. They shared similar views not only about art, but about politics and the stupidities of British politicians. However, everything changed when the war started and Tunnard became a coast-guard, which involved eight or ten-hour shifts on the cliffs of the Lizard Peninsula.
Painting No.1 is Tunnard's most ambitious painting from the immediate pre-war period and shows many features which recur time and again during the following decade, such as the slightly oblique vertical line separating the painting into unequal parts or even different worlds. Several different planes of view and the impression of a painting within a painting all add depth and a sense of mystery to Painting No.1. The more one looks, the greater one's curiousity. Are the pair of black structures on the bar male and female? If so, are they threatened by the strange object on the bar on the right? Members of the public then and now often regarded Tunnard's work as surrealist, Tunnard had joined two surrealist exhibitions in 1937, but his links with the mainstream British surrealists became more tenuous. This was partly for artistic reasons, but perhaps even more because he did not like joining any group which put pressure on him to conform to their views.
The painting has a gesso base which Tunnard used for most of his largest works. This provides an excellent template for the complex tempera surface used here and for the oil or oil and tempera combination used for most other large works.
We are very grateful to Professor Brian Whitton (University of Durham b.a.whitton@durham.ac.uk) for providing the above catalogue entry and the entries for lots 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 230 and 231.
Painting No.1 is Tunnard's most ambitious painting from the immediate pre-war period and shows many features which recur time and again during the following decade, such as the slightly oblique vertical line separating the painting into unequal parts or even different worlds. Several different planes of view and the impression of a painting within a painting all add depth and a sense of mystery to Painting No.1. The more one looks, the greater one's curiousity. Are the pair of black structures on the bar male and female? If so, are they threatened by the strange object on the bar on the right? Members of the public then and now often regarded Tunnard's work as surrealist, Tunnard had joined two surrealist exhibitions in 1937, but his links with the mainstream British surrealists became more tenuous. This was partly for artistic reasons, but perhaps even more because he did not like joining any group which put pressure on him to conform to their views.
The painting has a gesso base which Tunnard used for most of his largest works. This provides an excellent template for the complex tempera surface used here and for the oil or oil and tempera combination used for most other large works.
We are very grateful to Professor Brian Whitton (University of Durham b.a.whitton@durham.ac.uk) for providing the above catalogue entry and the entries for lots 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 230 and 231.