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Lot Essay
Vaughan visited the Cheshire village of Cuddington on 25 March 1946 and produced several sheets of studies of the mill which was still in working order. Before setting off on his drawing trip that morning, he received news that he was to be discharged from the army the following day, having served there for five years. He was in a sombre mood as he worked on the drawings, but was determined to follow a career as a painter:
'A sentiment of sadness & mild regret overlaying a deeper sense of angst, is the only emotion I am aware of. Certainly, I am not sorry to leave here … but I am sad at leaving people. The moment is at hand when the increased knowledge & understanding of myself & the world which I have quietly gained during these years, must be put to the test. I must leave home & leave Lintas. I shall try to continue to develop as an artist while still keeping open one or two lines of compromise intact: teaching & writing etc' (Keith Vaughan, Journal, 25 March 1946).
In 1948 Vaughan produced two paintings from the drawings he had made in situ at Cuddington: one predominantly in blue, and the present work, in green. The influence of Graham Sutherland has dropped away and been replaced by a more structured and formal approach, which was to remain part of his painting vocabulary. The organised arrangement of the mill, with its blocked-in windows and sloping roof, is played off against the vertical accent of the trees which balance the composition. Curved forms, denoting foliage, help to soften the configuration of what, otherwise, would be an overly geometric arrangement of forms.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings for preparing this catalogue entry. His forthcoming book is Keith Vaughan: The Graphic Art.
'A sentiment of sadness & mild regret overlaying a deeper sense of angst, is the only emotion I am aware of. Certainly, I am not sorry to leave here … but I am sad at leaving people. The moment is at hand when the increased knowledge & understanding of myself & the world which I have quietly gained during these years, must be put to the test. I must leave home & leave Lintas. I shall try to continue to develop as an artist while still keeping open one or two lines of compromise intact: teaching & writing etc' (Keith Vaughan, Journal, 25 March 1946).
In 1948 Vaughan produced two paintings from the drawings he had made in situ at Cuddington: one predominantly in blue, and the present work, in green. The influence of Graham Sutherland has dropped away and been replaced by a more structured and formal approach, which was to remain part of his painting vocabulary. The organised arrangement of the mill, with its blocked-in windows and sloping roof, is played off against the vertical accent of the trees which balance the composition. Curved forms, denoting foliage, help to soften the configuration of what, otherwise, would be an overly geometric arrangement of forms.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings for preparing this catalogue entry. His forthcoming book is Keith Vaughan: The Graphic Art.