William Nicholson

Major and Mrs Geoffrey Castle, by 1956
Roland, Browse and Delbanco, London
Sale, Sotheby's London, 21st May 1986, lot 108
Private Collection, U.K.

London, Leicester Galleries, Paintings by Sir William Nicholson, April 1938, cat. no.36;
London, Leicester Galleries, Artists of Fame and Promise, July 1949, cat. no.122;
London, Roland, Browse and Delbacno, The English Scene: Important British Paintings from Three Centuries, April - June 1951, cat. no.35;
London, Roland, Browse and Delbanco, William Nicholson Centenary Exhibition, April - May 1972, cat. no. 30.

Apollo, April 1974, illustrated;
Lilian Browse, William Nicholson, Rupert Hart-Davis, London, 1956, p.114, cat. no.517.

The canvas has an old relining. There are scattered areas of craquelure in all four quadrants, running vertically and predominantly in the right side - these would appear to be from when the canvas was once rolled. There is also an old spot of paint loss in an area of impasto to the lowest flower head in the centre of the canvas. There is an old frame abrasion along the upper side of the left edge. Ultraviolet light reveals flecks of retouching across the background of the picture and in a few further places about the canvas. Held in a gilt plaster frame. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 6424 if you have any questions about the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

William Nicholson is often described as a 'painter's painter for his primary concern is with the craft of painting and the possibilities of paint over intellectual or theoretical discussions, and this is exemplified in his still-lifes, which are his most personal works. These are closely observed paintings; Nicholson would leave a still-life subject arranged and untouched for several days before putting paint to canvas. In this way, he built up an intimate knowledge of the subject so by the time he came to paint it, his execution was direct and sensitive, employing confident, swift brushstrokes.

Nicholson was a tonal painter, a legacy from Whistler, and his still-lifes are characterised by a sense of restraint and design. In Red Cinerarias these formal qualities are paramount. He does not use easy, exciting contrasts of dark and light, shiny and matt but combines elements of a similar nature, colour and tone. Light and shadow are also strikingly rendered, and Nicholson used his still-lifes to investigate different qualities of illumination, sources and directions of light. This is most often apparent in his depiction of silverware or glass; while therefore more subtle in Red Cinerarias, shadow does fall superbly behind the flowers and the discreet lighter brush strokes on the clay pots wonderfully evokes their dry, earthy quality.

Nicholson conveys the essential qualities of the subject before him through a simplification of the image, which makes his paintings so compelling. Understated, composed and balanced, it is for these qualities that Nicholson's still-lifes are generally considered his finest works, showing his continual development and expressing such feeling.