Beschreibung:

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (BRITISH 1872-1949) FELLS, AMBLESIDE Oil on panel Signed with monogram (lower left) 35 x 46cm (13¾ x 18 in.)Painted in 1942. Provenance: The Leicester Galleries, London Roland Browse & Delbanco, London, purchased in 1945 Private Collection, Dr. Gustav Delbanco Christie's, London, Property from the Estate of the late Dr. Gustav Delbanco, 27 November 1997, lot 97, where purchased by Robert KimeExhibited: London, Leicester Galleries, Paintings by Sir William Nicholson, 1943, No. 47 London, Roland Browse & Delbanco, Paintings by Sir William Nicholson, 1945, No. 22 London, Roland Browse & Delbanco, William Nicholson Centenary Exhibition, 27 April - 27 May 1972, No. 29 Aldeburgh, Aldeburgh Festival Exhibition, William Nicholson Centenary Exhibition, 2 - 19 June 1972, No. 29 London, Roland Browse & Delbanco, William Nicholson 1872-1949, 1990, no. 32Literature: Lillian Browse, William Nicholson, London, 1956, no. 465, pl. 36 (dated to c. 1935) Patricia Reed, William Nicholson, Catalogue Raisonne of the Oil Paintings, Modern Art Press, Yale University Press, 2011, p. 632, no. 861, illus. Captivated by the pristine charm of the British countryside and driven by an unwavering passion for landscape painting, William Nicholson crafted a remarkable body of work that echoes his deep-rooted connection to nature. His desire to be immersed within the countryside became reality when Nicholson and his wife Mabel Pryde purchased the old vicarage in Rottingdean, near Brighton. The series of works influenced by this location during the 1920s and mid-1930s was referred to as his 'downs period' where Nicholson focused his attention to the beauty and serenity of the hilly, chalk grasslands on the South Downs. This move towards landscape painting marked a departure from his exploration of still life and portraiture. Nicholson's renowned "downland series" stands as a testament to his ability to portray the changing seasons, moods, and colours of the rural landscapes with timeless artistry. "The Fells, Ambleside," painted around 1942 is from a slightly later date and yet it still captures the same essence of Nicholson's 'downland series' illustrating the rolling hills of Ambleside in Cumbria as he draws the viewer's eye deep into the landscape. The work is believed to have been painted in either May or June when Nicholson was invited to act as the external assessor for the Royal College of Art students, who now resided in Ambleside after being evacuated in 1940. The dry-stone walling curves through the landscape splitting the scene in two. The stone quarry and patchwork of hills on one side with a vast open landscape with sheep grazing on the other. Nicholson has used sgraffito technique to mark out the grass and the texture of the walls. A key figure in Nicholson's life was his dear friend and brother-in-law James Pryde, whose work is also featured in Robert Kime's collection (Lot x & x). As struggling artists in the 1890s, Pryde and Nicholson saw an opportunity to explore the poster market and its growing popularity. The pair joined together to create an artistic partnership they coined 'the Brothers Beggarstaff.' The pair experimented with collage, silhouettes and simplistic forms provided innovative and revolutionary ideas of marketing. Their work, proving too 'avant-garde', pushed them both back to their traditional artistic journeys. However, Nicholson saw an opportunity to experiment with print-making and went on to produce extremely popular series titled 'An Alphabet', 'An Almanac of Sports' and 'London Types' under the publisher William Heinemann.