George Leslie Hunter

George Leslie Hunter

Diverse and Experimental

‘Everyone must choose his own way, and mine will be the way of colour’ were the words of artist George Leslie Hunter.

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STILL LIFE WITH FRUIT AND PINK ROSE
LOT 144 | ◆ GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STILL LIFE WITH FRUIT AND PINK ROSE
Signed, oil on board | 68cm x 51cm (26.75in x 20in) | £60,000 - £80,000 + fees

 

Focusing for much of his life on landscapes and still life, Hunter worked in a range of mediums. His still life’s of fruit are particularly distinctive, such as his 1925 painting Still Life with Fruit and Pink Rose. Hunter’s typical impasto technique adds a luxuriously textured surface to the composition and visualises the inspiration he found in Matisse and the free, energetic work of the French Fauves. In his Still Life with Marigolds, we again note his vibrant palette and strong brushstrokes, demonstrating a bold and experimental new attitude that he took away from his continental counterparts.

 

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STILL LIFE WITH MARIGOLDS
LOT 141 | ◆ GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STILL LIFE WITH MARIGOLDS
Signed, oil on board | 46cm x 41cm (18in x 16in) | £40,000 - £60,000 + fees

 

His landscapes, such as Street Scene, Largo, and Beached Boats, Lower Largo, offer us fascinating insight into the Scottish Colourist’s French influences by contemporary artists such as Monet and Cezanne. The warming colours of the buildings in Street Scene, Largo juxtaposed against the cooler tones of the sky are reminiscent of Cezanne’s new colour theory, in which he used the natural properties of warm and cool colours to advance and recede and create a sense of depth. Beached Boats, Lower Largo also explores Hunter’s fascination with the effects of light and colour theory, with the sharp contrast of the warmly coloured boat in the foreground against the sombre, muted cool tones of the surrounding water and sky that produces an atmospheric feeling of the cool weather.

 

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STREET SCENE, LARGO
LOT 142 | GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | STREET SCENE, LARGO
Signed, oil on canvas | 51cm x 61cm (20in x 24in) | £20,000 - £30,000 + fees

 

Diverse and experimental, Hunter was always looking outwards and learning from his contemporaries; resulting in an impressive oeuvre which teaches us not just about Scottish life at the beginning of the twentieth century, but also of the intellectual and cultural interchange of artists across Europe.

 

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | BEACHED BOATS, LOWER LARGO
LOT 143 | GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER (SCOTTISH 1877-1931) | BEACHED BOATS, LOWER LARGO
Signed, oil on panel | 20.5cm x 28cm (8in x 11in) | £6,000 - £8,000 + fees

 

We are delighted to offer this group of works by George Leslie Hunter in our forthcoming auction of Scottish Paintings on Thursday 5th December at 6pm in Edinburgh.

 

VIEW WORKS BY HUNTER IN OUR 5 DEC AUCTION ⇒

 


 

Dates for Your Diary

 

AUCTION | Scottish Paintings | Thursday, 5th December at 6pm | Edinburgh

VIEWING | Tues - Wed 4 December 10am - 5pm | Thurs 5 December 9am - 2pm

 

View the full auction catalogue online ⇒

 
 

 

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