Duncan Grant
The Pond in the Winter at Charleston, 1943
Oil on canvas laid onto board
16 ¼ x 20 ¼ in. (41.2 x 51.4 cm)
Signed 'D Grant' lower right
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com The pond at Charleston farmhouse offered endless inspiration for Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell’s artistic ingenuity. It was one of the...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
When the outbreak of the Second World War seemed imminent, they let their London studios to friends, packed their canvasses and furniture into trucks and moved to Charleston permanently. They were joined by Clive Bell, who had his own study and library in Vanessa’s old bedroom that housed his vast collection of books.[1] In between moments of panic and wartime anxieties, life was relatively relaxed at Charleston at this time, with each resident contributing to its upkeep; ‘Everything here is calm and luxurious,’ Angelica wrote to David Garnett in July 1940.[2]
Conditions at Charleston were less pleasant in the winter months, however, and despite the recent installation of modern radiators and electricity, the house was cold and uncomfortable. Snow, wind and rain frequently battered the house during the wartime years, with one notable fatality being the gazebo on the pond, which had been constructed by Duncan in the mid-1930s.
Vigorously painted using a combination of brush and a palette knife on a prepared panel, it indicates an awareness of Claude Monet’s outdoor studies.
[1] Spalding, F. (1998) Duncan Grant: A Biography. London: Pimlico, p. 368
[2] Bell, A. (1940) Letter to David Garnett, 27 July 1940, quoted in Spalding, F. (1998) Duncan Grant: A Biography. London: Pimlico, p. 370
Provenance
With Lefevre Gallery, London.Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 22 June 1962, lot 97;
With Leger Galleries, London, where purchased by the previous owner's uncle, and by descent.