Ben Nicholson O.M.

(British, 1894-1982)

Isle Tristan 16.5 x 24.2 cm. (6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.)

Footnotes

Provenance
C.S Reddihough

The Second World War had meant France was off limits to Ben Nicholson. His initial visits to Paris in the early 1920s (see catalogue entry for Diamond, lot 2) had been fundamental to his development. It is no surprise, therefore, with peacetime, Nicholson felt the desire to venture back. His first destination in April 1949 was of course Paris. From here he travelled to Brittany in what Jane Checkland has described as, 'a pilgrimage to Christopher Wood's old haunts of Tréboul and Douarnenez. Hiring an "ancient blue bicycle with pedals that touched the ground", he visited the area's Neolithic sites. He felt so comfortable among the Bretons that he surmised that one of his ancestors must have come from there.' (Sarah Jane Checkland, Ben Nicholson, the Vicious Circles of His Life & Art, John Murray, London, p.259).

Among these sites of archaeological interest was Isle Tristan, located at the mouth of the Pouldavid Estuary off the French port of Douarnenez in the south-west of the region. Traces of civilisation, there date back to the Bronze Age. Man-made additions over the centuries include an orchard which was planted along with a tropical garden, and buildings include a lighthouse and the ruins of an old fort. The rich and diverse vegetation of the island has been singled out by Nicholson with the use of vibrant emerald green paint.

Ben Nicholson's delightful little canvas depicts the island from the mainland. The buildings in the foreground have been drawn in pencil in a style characteristic of Nicholson's houses at this time (see Jan 48, Towednack, lot 15) and left largely unpainted. Le Tricolore flutters in the summer breeze as sailing boats, still retaining a 'Wallis-like' naivety, drift by. It is an idyllic scene, which reflects the feeling of optimism Nicholson must have been enjoying as he was free once more to explore the region which had attracted so many artists since the establishment of the Pont Aven School to the south in the mid-19th century.

Approximately 450 metres long and 250 metres wide the island is now uninhabited and has become part of the National Marine Park, only accessible to tourists by special arrangement.