John Piper, C.H. (1903-1992)

The present work Fawley V and Fawley VIII (see lot 43) were both exhibited at Waddington Galleries in 1989. In the preface to the exhibition catalogue David Fraser Jenkins comments on the Fawley I to X series, 'It is difficult to be certain in these new paintings whether the plants have covered the foreground or have somehow taken over the whole vision of the artist, leaving only a few spots of clear light ... These paintings were all begun with a wide brushed coating of white, mixed with sand to give a rough surface. The prominent blacks almost obscure the light, left shining through in places like the opening of a cave. The flowers and leaves are in front of this blackness, things not quite known that are alive in this darkest part of the garden' (see Exhibition catalogue, London, Waddington Galleries, 1989, p. 7.)