Lot Essay
‘When hand, eye and imagination come together - no matter how fortuitous it might seem or look - Hunter was rarely equalled’ (R. Billcliffe, The Scottish Colourists, London, 1989, p. 45).
Hunter’s regular visits to the South of France began in 1925. Hunter’s time in France spurned a particularly active period of intense experimentation for the artist, when his work became revitalised by the warmth and light of his Mediterranean surroundings. This inspiration is evident in the present work, in the vitality of his tones and the energy and expressionistic nature of his brushstrokes. Hunter wrote of aspiring for three elements in his paintings: 'energy, freshness and masterly disposition, the three elements that mark the classic'. This particular interest in colour was noted by critics of the day who stated, ‘Mr Hunter’s strongest point is his colour, which is gay and attractive attaining a luscious brilliancy … he is one of those artists in whom style and spontaneity play a large part’ (quoted in T. J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists, London, 1950, p. 108). This was supported by Hunter, who wrote in his notebook, 'everyone must choose his own way, and mine will be the way of colour' (G.L Hunter, quoted in ibid., p. 103).
In the South of France, Hunter met Fergusson and Peploe in Cassis and was first introduced to the delights of St Paul de Vence. A happy association developed with the now renowned restaurant and hotel La Colombe d’Or and it was to St Paul de Vence that Hunter returned after his exhibition in New York in 1929.
La Colombe d’Or began in 1920 as a café-bar named ‘Chez Robinson’, opened by a local Provençal farmer, Paul Roux, after returning from fighting in the First World War. As it quickly became popular it was expanded into an inn of three rooms and was named La Colombe d’Or, as it is still known. Roux often befriended struggling artists, and as an amateur painter himself with a deep appreciation of modern art, he often accepted their paintings in exchange for a free room and board. Many of these then struggling artists- such as Picasso, Braque and Leger, went on to become central figures in twentieth century art - with their paintings creating the basis of the hotel’s art collection as it remains today.
Hunter’s regular visits to the South of France began in 1925. Hunter’s time in France spurned a particularly active period of intense experimentation for the artist, when his work became revitalised by the warmth and light of his Mediterranean surroundings. This inspiration is evident in the present work, in the vitality of his tones and the energy and expressionistic nature of his brushstrokes. Hunter wrote of aspiring for three elements in his paintings: 'energy, freshness and masterly disposition, the three elements that mark the classic'. This particular interest in colour was noted by critics of the day who stated, ‘Mr Hunter’s strongest point is his colour, which is gay and attractive attaining a luscious brilliancy … he is one of those artists in whom style and spontaneity play a large part’ (quoted in T. J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists, London, 1950, p. 108). This was supported by Hunter, who wrote in his notebook, 'everyone must choose his own way, and mine will be the way of colour' (G.L Hunter, quoted in ibid., p. 103).
In the South of France, Hunter met Fergusson and Peploe in Cassis and was first introduced to the delights of St Paul de Vence. A happy association developed with the now renowned restaurant and hotel La Colombe d’Or and it was to St Paul de Vence that Hunter returned after his exhibition in New York in 1929.
La Colombe d’Or began in 1920 as a café-bar named ‘Chez Robinson’, opened by a local Provençal farmer, Paul Roux, after returning from fighting in the First World War. As it quickly became popular it was expanded into an inn of three rooms and was named La Colombe d’Or, as it is still known. Roux often befriended struggling artists, and as an amateur painter himself with a deep appreciation of modern art, he often accepted their paintings in exchange for a free room and board. Many of these then struggling artists- such as Picasso, Braque and Leger, went on to become central figures in twentieth century art - with their paintings creating the basis of the hotel’s art collection as it remains today.