Winifred Nicholson, 1893 –1981

The Artist’s Children, Kate and Jake, at the Isle of Wight

Oil on canvas, 1931-1932

This painting was made after the artist’s husband Ben Nicholson left her and it is difficult not to read a sadness into the jaunty scene with party hats. Winifred Nicholson was hugely influenced by her surroundings and was affected by the formal experimentations of her friends and contemporaries, Paul Nash, Christopher Wood and the sailor painter Alfred Wallis. She contributed to the Circle 'International Survey of Constructive Art' produced in the UK in the 1930s by Ben and Naum Gabo, but is known mainly for her landscapes and flower studies. A visit to India in 1919 inspired an interest in the use of colour to represent light, shade and space. The delicate colours here are typical of Nicholson's work. Bold brushstrokes with elements of transparency reveal her process of often painting works in one sitting and on location.

Purchased from Winifred Nicholson, 1971