Duncan Grant

The London Artists' Association, London, 1931, where purchased by Sir David Scott for £26.5.0

London, The London Artists' Association, Recent Paintings by Duncan Grant, 10 - 4 July 1931, no. 50.

The following condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. STRUCTURAL CONDITION The artist's board has bowed considerably but this is not unusual to see in a board of this nature. It is providing a secure support and though attempts at lessening the deformation can be made there is no guarantee that the board can be made to lie completely flat. PAINT SURFACE The paint surface is extremely dirty and the varnish layers have yellowed considerably. There are dirt spots on the surface and cleaning would be most beneficial. There is one small paint loss in the centre of the painting towards the right hand framing edge. No retouchings are visible. I would expect a considerable change in overall appearance should the painting be cleaned and restored and revarnished. SUMMARY The painting therefore appears in good and stable condition with potential for improvement in appearance should the work outlined above be undertaken. Hamish Dewar Ltd, 13 & 14 Mason's Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 4004 Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 4100 Email: hamish@hamishdewar.co.uk
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

'There was a large exhibition of Duncan Grants at Lefevre's and I could only get there after several days and this picture was one of the few unsold. All the same I liked its summer cornfield look and have never tired of it, though I must have gazed at it hundreds of times.' Sir David Scott

'What especially pleases me about this picture of a Suffolk landscape is the feeling of heat and bright sunlight. It is a real hot summer's day and the shadows of the trees make nice patterns on the grass.'  Sir David Scott

Grant first explored the Suffolk countryside in 1914, when he and his then lover David Garnett moved to Wissett to become farm labourers. Grant returned to the Suffolk countryside in 1930, and it is still possible to see elements of the Post-Impressionist style for which Grant became famous in the present landscape. By the early 1930s Grant had become a recognised writer on turn-of-the-century French art, publishing writings on Cezanne (1927) and Matisse (1930). He was also spending much of his time in Cassis, in southern France, where he and Vanessa Bell had set up a studio. Much of Grant's landscape painting of this date reflects something of the warm tones and bright colours of the countryside around him. Some of this bright colouring can be gleaned from the present landscape, but in a way that still makes the scene seem unmistakably English.