Sir George Clausen R.A.,R.W.S (British 1852-1944)
Hamilton Terrace, Autumn Morning, 1933
£17,640
Auction: 28 October 2022 from 10:00 BST
Description
signed (lower left), titled and dated (to reverse), oil on canvas
Dimensions
50cm x 60cm (19 3/4in x 23 5/8in)
Provenance
Provenance:
Spinks, London, label K24546;
Collection of the Late Sir Richard Shepherd, MP.
Footnote
George Clausen was born in London in 1852. His wide-ranging training included stints at the National Art Training School, South Kensington, Antwerp Academy and later at the Académie Julian in Paris. His career began in London in the 1870s before moving to St Albans in 1881. There he had access to plentiful rural subjects, the depiction of which revealed his deep admiration for the naturalist Jules Bastien-Lepage. In 1886 Clausen was a founding member of the progressive New Art Club before a move to Essex in 1890 ushered in a new chapter of works based on country life. He was eventually appointed Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy Schools, becoming an Academician in 1908 and a Senior Academician in 1927, the year in which he received a knighthood. After serving as an Official War Artist during World War One, Clausen split his time between London and Essex. He spent World War Two living in Berkshire, where he died in 1944.
Hamilton Terrace, Autumn Morning of 1933 is an assured, mature work on the theme of early morning light for which Clausen is renowned. Hamilton Terrace in St John’s Wood, London, runs in a south-easterly direction off Carlton Hill, where Clausen had a house from 1905 until his death. The source of the low seasonal light is hidden, whilst its rays cast architecture into profile and trees into shadow, except those autumnal leaves caught in golden highlights. Chiaroscuro and a muted palette create an atmospheric scene, steeped in the promise of the day to come.