LESLIE HUNTER; SCOTTISH COLOURIST
Every one seemed to like Cadell and not many people seem to have heard of him so I thought maybe I should briefly introduce another of the scottish Colourists, Leslie Hunter. This painting is called;
'THE PINK TABLECLOTH'
George Leslie Hunter (7 August 1879 - 6 December 1931), known as Leslie Hunter, was a Scottish painter and one of the artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting.
He was often considered the most natural of the Scottish Colourists, he was primarily a self-taught artist, renowned for this bohemian appearance, eccentric behaviour his unwavering, almost obsessive devotion to art.
Hunter was born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute but his family emigrated to California when he was 13. He was the son of a dispensing chemist and attended Rothesay Academy untill 1892 when his father decided to emigrate to California. Here Hunter remained until 1906. During this time he worked as in illustrator for Californian newspapers and magazines. Here he developed his skill as a draughtsman which become the cornerstone of his talent.
Hunter’s first one man exhibition was due to open in San Francisco in 1906, but all the works intended for this show were destroyed by the San Francisco earthquake. He was utterly devastated by this disaster and didn’t fully recover from the trauma, he returned to Scotland and settled in Glasgow. Here he became acquainted with Alexander Reid, in whose gallery he did eventually hold his first one man exhibition in 1916.
During the 1920s, Hunter came to prominence with Fergusson, Cadell, and Peploe as one of the four artists collectively known as the Scottish Colourists. They were all influenced, to varying degrees, by the purity, bright colour and brushwork technique of the French Impressionsists, Post-Impressionists and Fauvists.
In 1922 Hunter visited Paris, Venice, Florence and the Riviera Coast, often joined by his friend and colleague John Duncan Fergusson. Following their return, he settled in Fife and painted still lifes and landscapes, many of which were inspired by the house-boats at Loch Lomond.
Hunter spent much time during subsequent years in the South of France, painting at Saint Paul de Vence, Cassis and St Tropez between 1927-1929. His visits abroad proved highly productive and he exhibited much of his recent work at the Feragil Galleries, New York in 1929, an exhibition that won him considerable critical acclaim.
Hunter's health however was poor and that same year he suffered a serious breakdown. Dispite his failing health he continued to paint and produced some of his finest works during his later years.
Hunter is best known for scenes painted in Fife and in the South of France. He died in Glasgow in 1931 following unsuccessful treatment and surgery for his medical condition.
There is an album of his paintings in my pictures, again, the images are very small which is a shame but it does give you some idea of his work
wickedlyinnocent wrote on Jul 1, '08
Another
artist charmed by St Paul de Vence and the magnificent Mediterranean
colours, I'd spend a lot of time there too if I were a painter. Thanks
for the great informative blog on the Scottish Colourists, I love
bohemian artists devotedly obsesssed to art.
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A
lovely painting; it does not move me in quite the same way as "The
Orange Blind" did, but it is valuable to know about the school of
painters as I had not heard of them before. It must have been
heartbreaking to lose his first works in the earthquake and fire.
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brendainmad wrote on Jul 1, '08
I love these paintings too. What a shame about his first exhibition!
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starfishred wrote on Jul 1, '08
very nice things you are teaching us thanks
you guys are very good poets and writters to |
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