Cedric Morris
Irises, an unfinished work, 1960s
Oil on canvas
24 x 18.11 in (61 cm 46 cm)
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com Cedric Morris was, in many respects, as avid a gardener as he was an artist. Preferring to be known as an...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
Cedric Morris was, in many respects, as avid a gardener as he was an artist. Preferring to be known as an ‘Artist Plantsman’ Morris’ flower paintings are, in essence, extensions of his lifelong affinity with plants. Naturally inquisitive and exploratory in nature, Morris obtained an extensive knowledge of propagation through his gardening activities subsequently becoming famous during the early 1940s for breeding legions of exotic varieties of Irises (a flower not commonly planted in England at the time). His garden at Benton End, in Hadleigh, Suffolk, was arranged in a formal, yet aesthetically intuitive manner. Rows of flowers and plants were arranged in tiers within an old orchard and were enclosed by an encircling and modestly sized brick wall. It was Morris’ intuition for colour and formal harmony that ultimately informed his painting of flowers. His garden, much like his painting was primarily motivated by a desire to capture the beauty inherent in naturally contrasting forms and tones.
In 1939 Morris and his lifelong partner Arthur Lett-Haines (1894-1978) moved the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing from Dedham, Essex to the charming, if also moderately dilapidating, Tudor cottage called ‘Benton End’ where the pair were to remain until their respective deaths, Lett-Haines in 1978 and Morris four years later. The gardens at Benton End were to become as well-known if not more so than the art school to which it became renowned. When painting his own plants and flowers Morris was evidently committed to compositional organisation as informed by the juxtaposition of contrasting organic forms and vivid colours. The artist Glyn Morgan (1926-2015), whom Morris taught at Benton End from 1943, described how Morris painted’ start at the top of the canvas and work his way in rows to the bottom, rather like kitting a pullover. His mastery of the medium was such that when he reached the bottom of the picture it never needed any alteration or adjustment.’
This unique unfinished work provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine Morris’ painting technique as described by Morgan. Starting from the upper left hand corner Morris applied thick dabs of paint in overlapping rows in order to build the paining from the top downwards. The reason for the lack of completion here is unknown and this is the only example of its type to come onto the market in recent years. It offers us a rare glimpse into the working methods of one of Britain’s most revered and respected painters and breeders of Iris.
The yellow bearded Irises shown here flower between late May and early June and have a comparatively short season of up to three weeks. It is most likely that Morris would have begun painting this work when the Irises were in full flower in order to successfully convey their vibrant colour and form. The relatively short period in which to do this may provide an insight into the incomplete nature of this work. In addition the appearance of a composition seemingly extended upwards from the bottom of the canvas is in the beginnings of another work entirely. Morris would have initially had this portion of the canvas rotated working downwards in his unique and methodical manner. However, he quickly abandoned this composition, rotating the canvas 180 degrees in order to commence the yellow Irises we see here. The under drawing is a curious addition in that Morris was consistently noted as working directly onto the canvas without producing any preliminary studies or guiding aids such as pencilled outlines of main forms. The artist and illustrator Kathleen Hale described how Morris ‘always painted methodically […] without any preliminary drawings.’ It would appear that this work contradicts the previous understanding of how Morris painted. This may be an anomaly among his oeuvre, however, it remains a fascinating insight into Morris’ seemingly experimental approach when working on this painting. It is a work that stands alone as a rare and significant addition to his larger body of paintings.
Further reading:
G. Reynolds and D. Grace (eds.) Benton End Remembered: Cedric Morris, Arthur Lett-Haines and the East Anglian School of Drawing (Norwich: Unicorn Press, 2002)
R. Morphet Cedric Morris (London: The Tate Gallery Publishing, 1984)
N. Hepburn Cedric Morris & Christopher Wood: A Forgotten Friendship (London: Unicorn Press, 2012)
C. Morris ‘Letter from Cedric Morris to Arthur Lett-Haines’ [2 January 1957] (Tate Archives)
Cedric Morris was, in many respects, as avid a gardener as he was an artist. Preferring to be known as an ‘Artist Plantsman’ Morris’ flower paintings are, in essence, extensions of his lifelong affinity with plants. Naturally inquisitive and exploratory in nature, Morris obtained an extensive knowledge of propagation through his gardening activities subsequently becoming famous during the early 1940s for breeding legions of exotic varieties of Irises (a flower not commonly planted in England at the time). His garden at Benton End, in Hadleigh, Suffolk, was arranged in a formal, yet aesthetically intuitive manner. Rows of flowers and plants were arranged in tiers within an old orchard and were enclosed by an encircling and modestly sized brick wall. It was Morris’ intuition for colour and formal harmony that ultimately informed his painting of flowers. His garden, much like his painting was primarily motivated by a desire to capture the beauty inherent in naturally contrasting forms and tones.
In 1939 Morris and his lifelong partner Arthur Lett-Haines (1894-1978) moved the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing from Dedham, Essex to the charming, if also moderately dilapidating, Tudor cottage called ‘Benton End’ where the pair were to remain until their respective deaths, Lett-Haines in 1978 and Morris four years later. The gardens at Benton End were to become as well-known if not more so than the art school to which it became renowned. When painting his own plants and flowers Morris was evidently committed to compositional organisation as informed by the juxtaposition of contrasting organic forms and vivid colours. The artist Glyn Morgan (1926-2015), whom Morris taught at Benton End from 1943, described how Morris painted’ start at the top of the canvas and work his way in rows to the bottom, rather like kitting a pullover. His mastery of the medium was such that when he reached the bottom of the picture it never needed any alteration or adjustment.’
This unique unfinished work provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine Morris’ painting technique as described by Morgan. Starting from the upper left hand corner Morris applied thick dabs of paint in overlapping rows in order to build the paining from the top downwards. The reason for the lack of completion here is unknown and this is the only example of its type to come onto the market in recent years. It offers us a rare glimpse into the working methods of one of Britain’s most revered and respected painters and breeders of Iris.
The yellow bearded Irises shown here flower between late May and early June and have a comparatively short season of up to three weeks. It is most likely that Morris would have begun painting this work when the Irises were in full flower in order to successfully convey their vibrant colour and form. The relatively short period in which to do this may provide an insight into the incomplete nature of this work. In addition the appearance of a composition seemingly extended upwards from the bottom of the canvas is in the beginnings of another work entirely. Morris would have initially had this portion of the canvas rotated working downwards in his unique and methodical manner. However, he quickly abandoned this composition, rotating the canvas 180 degrees in order to commence the yellow Irises we see here. The under drawing is a curious addition in that Morris was consistently noted as working directly onto the canvas without producing any preliminary studies or guiding aids such as pencilled outlines of main forms. The artist and illustrator Kathleen Hale described how Morris ‘always painted methodically […] without any preliminary drawings.’ It would appear that this work contradicts the previous understanding of how Morris painted. This may be an anomaly among his oeuvre, however, it remains a fascinating insight into Morris’ seemingly experimental approach when working on this painting. It is a work that stands alone as a rare and significant addition to his larger body of paintings.
Further reading:
G. Reynolds and D. Grace (eds.) Benton End Remembered: Cedric Morris, Arthur Lett-Haines and the East Anglian School of Drawing (Norwich: Unicorn Press, 2002)
R. Morphet Cedric Morris (London: The Tate Gallery Publishing, 1984)
N. Hepburn Cedric Morris & Christopher Wood: A Forgotten Friendship (London: Unicorn Press, 2012)
C. Morris ‘Letter from Cedric Morris to Arthur Lett-Haines’ [2 January 1957] (Tate Archives)
Provenance
The Artist’s Estate