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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.

The present work, painted towards the end of Morris’ active
career, was most likely painted in late September just as autumn has
transitioned out of summer. The inclusion of autumn crocus (colchicum autumnale
/ ‘album’) that can be seen in the foreground of the painting reinforce the
time of year. Furthermore, Morris depicts five other identifiable species of
plants and flowers that aid the identification of the season. They are:

-
Galtonia candicans, seen here in the top foreground (native
to Southern African and flowers from later July to late September)

-
Gladiolus papilio, the purple hanging flowers seen in the
upper region of the canvas (late summer early autumn flowering)

-
Artemisa maritima, the main cluster-body of feathery white
flowers in the middle background
(European native that flowers late August through September)

-
Papaver rhoeas ‘Mother of Pearl’ / later ‘Cedric
Morris’, the small group of lilac poppies seen in the middle-left foreground
(Late spring and autumn flowering)

-
Allium ‘ornamental onion’, the lone round headed flower seen here
in the right middle ground (spring, summer flowering – however, Morris was also
fond of incorporating unseasonal flowers as a means of providing a harmonious
collection of flowers to paint)

The resultant painting is one of subtle colour relationships
and delicate, organic forms that are greatly heightened in individuality by
Morris’ expert treatment of shape and his intuitive understanding of colour.

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. Although somewhat reserved in
title alone, the teaching methods of the school were organised according to the
personalised aesthetic of the individual practitioner. In this respect,
tutelage under Lett-Haines and Morris was a far cry from the academic
methodology favoured by the London art schools of the time. Instruction rarely
came in the form of prescriptive technical practices as both artists were
ardent supporters of personal artistic development removed from any restrictive
standards.

This set Benton End apart and arguably places it at the
forefront of progressive artistic practice in in the period immediately
following the Second World War. Although Morris had left the Seven and Five
Society in 1932 and was not actively associated with the St Ives School, The
East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing encouraged artists to reject
academic tendencies replacing them with more liberal attitudes towards artistic
construction. In this respect, Benton End became an engaging centre for young artists
wishing to explore alternatives methods while developing their art. Morris
encouraged his pupils to concern themselves with aesthetic considerations
dictated by an appreciation for complimenting colours and appropriately chosen
forms. This guidance was first and foremost conceived of as a means through
which artists could remove themselves from traditional academic concerns such
as proportion and perspective in favour of more emotive and individualised
ones.

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 from the top of his canvases working down towards the bottom. In many
of Morris’ works depicting organic subject matter the skies are often developed
through vertical brushstrokes layered on top of one another. In addition,
Morris’s background tones gradually shift downwards from dark to light in a
manner reminiscent of works by Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) such as The Uncertainty of the Poet (1913) [Tate
Collection, T04109]. In addition, within the rich and dynamic surface textures
can be found subtle connections to earlier Modernist developments explored by
the Fauves and Cubist painters during the early-twentieth century. Painting in
a thick impasto Morris was admired by his pupils for his assured confidence
when working and the speed of his execution. This is similar to the approach
adopted by the Impressionist painters when working en plein air.

And yet, behind Morris’ nuanced engagement with European
Modernism there lies a fundamentally naturalistic conception of flora and fauna
instructed by Morris’ extensive knowledge of the natural world and his intimate
understanding of his own species of Iris. Although the halcyon days of Benton
End, both in respect of Morris’ Irises and the school, took place throughout
the 1940s and 1950s, during the 1960s and early 70s it was still a place that
harboured great artistic promise. In 1960 Maggi Hambling (b.1941) arrived at
the ‘Artist’s House’ (as Benton End was known to the Hadleigh locals) with oil
paintings under her arm to show Lett-Haines and Morris. Despite being only 15
at the time Hambling returned every holiday to the school coming back to learn
at every available opportunity from 1960-67. In addition the garden at Benton
End in the 1960s was characterised by a slight shift in structure from its
early days during the Second World War. Morris began to plant in a more relaxed
and spirited manner that mimicked the effect of wildflowers seen on mass. This
is particularly evident in the present work and is an assuring reminder that
Morris’ aesthetic, although consistent throughout his oeuvre, never ceases to
surprise through its creative invention.