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拍品專文
John Piper once observed of Stourhead in Wiltshire: ‘The undulating flanks of the lake with its dells and declivities, and the use of trees with dark-coloured foliage, have resulted in a natural looking landscape that is totally English and totally original’ (J. Piper quoted in R. Ingrams, op. cit. 58). Certainly, through a unique combination of neoclassical idealism and a distinctly modernist arrangement of flat planes of colour, this ‘Picturesque’ sense of Englishness so intrinsic to Piper’s practice is captured in The Garden at Stourhead.
Alan Bowness commented on the present work, describing it as ‘an unusually exact study for a landscape painting’ (A. Bowness, John Piper, Tate Gallery, London, 1983, p. 92). The painting that Bowness refers to is a slightly larger oil that is in the collection of the Manchester Art Gallery and dates from the same year, 1939. Typical of Piper’s practice, he executed the present work in situ in the open air at Stourhead using a combination of ink, watercolour, gouache and collage to capture the dramatic landscape and its many textures. This was returned to later in his studio, culminating in Autumn at Stourhead.
Piper is revered as an artist who recast the great tradition of English landscape painting in modern terms. As such, Stourhead provided the perfect arena through which he could exercise this talent. The impressive Georgian house, looking onto the downs, was built for Henry Hoare in 1724. However, it is the landscape surrounding this that is most celebrated. Designed by Capability Brown, the main circuit around the lake, scattered with a variety of classical buildings, was intended to symbolise the epic journey of Aeneas as told by Virgil. Visible in the present work, the Pantheon dates from 1754, while the Bristol Cross, installed in 1765, is a genuine medieval piece of 1373. The arcadian setting appealed greatly to Piper, who was evidently inspired to capture the outlines of the exotic trees and ancient buildings during his regular trips in the final years of the 1930s.
We are very grateful to Rev. Dr Stephen Laird F.S.A. for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Alan Bowness commented on the present work, describing it as ‘an unusually exact study for a landscape painting’ (A. Bowness, John Piper, Tate Gallery, London, 1983, p. 92). The painting that Bowness refers to is a slightly larger oil that is in the collection of the Manchester Art Gallery and dates from the same year, 1939. Typical of Piper’s practice, he executed the present work in situ in the open air at Stourhead using a combination of ink, watercolour, gouache and collage to capture the dramatic landscape and its many textures. This was returned to later in his studio, culminating in Autumn at Stourhead.
Piper is revered as an artist who recast the great tradition of English landscape painting in modern terms. As such, Stourhead provided the perfect arena through which he could exercise this talent. The impressive Georgian house, looking onto the downs, was built for Henry Hoare in 1724. However, it is the landscape surrounding this that is most celebrated. Designed by Capability Brown, the main circuit around the lake, scattered with a variety of classical buildings, was intended to symbolise the epic journey of Aeneas as told by Virgil. Visible in the present work, the Pantheon dates from 1754, while the Bristol Cross, installed in 1765, is a genuine medieval piece of 1373. The arcadian setting appealed greatly to Piper, who was evidently inspired to capture the outlines of the exotic trees and ancient buildings during his regular trips in the final years of the 1930s.
We are very grateful to Rev. Dr Stephen Laird F.S.A. for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.