Description
Signed, oil on panel
Dimensions
25.5cm x 35.5cm (10in x 14in)
Footnote
Provenance: The Wood Collection
Note:
Of the two works on offer here, Boats in Harbour has a distinctly French, Post-Impressionist flavour, being reminiscent of Van Gogh, particularly in tone and colouring. We know from Honeyman's biography that Hunter had a notebook containing a detailed analysis of Van Gogh's palette and this work demonstrates that enduring admiration. It was at this time, when, as the other Colourists were moving towards greater structure, that Hunter began to do quite the opposite, painting with broader, looser strokes.
The painting depicts a view from the pier at Largo in the East Neuk of Fife, which Hunter painted a number of times. This work is painted from exactly the same viewpoint as that taken by the artist in a similar, though slightly smaller, painting, Summer Day, Largo now in Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow - even including several of the same boats!
The painting would appear to date from the early 1920s. Hunter had first visited Fife in 1919 and continued to paint there throughout the next few years, staying in Ceres and Largo. However, a visit to Italy in 1922 so overwhelmed him that he became disappointed by the cooler light of the Fife paintings.