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Cedric Morris
(1889-1982) African Water Lily1969
Oil and canvas
21 1/4 x 25 9/16 in. (54 x 65 cm)
Provenance
Bonhams, London, 22 March 2011, lot 76;
Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, London;
Philip Mould Gallery, London, acquired from above;
Private collection, Australia, acquired from the above.
Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, London;
Philip Mould Gallery, London, acquired from above;
Private collection, Australia, acquired from the above.
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Cedric Morris was one of the most accomplished painters of the natural world in twentieth-century British art. This depiction of a pond, filled with African Water Lilies, was painted in the year after his retrospective at The National Museum of Wales in 1968.
Morris was 79 years old when he painted the present work during a winter trip to Madeira. Morris travelled extensively throughout his lifetime. Travel sustained his love of painting and horticulture, providing opportunities to seek new and exciting subject matter and a wealth of unfamiliar plants and seeds which he took back to England to cultivate. This sojourn was among Morris’ last major trips abroad, taken at a time when he was beginning to struggle to walk long distances; ‘I guess it’s my eightieth year announcing itself,’ he wrote to Lett-Haines during his trip.[1]
In another letter, also sent from Madeira, Morris mentions his artistic accomplishments in passing – ‘I have painted a picture, finished today.’[2]...
Cedric Morris was one of the most accomplished painters of the natural world in twentieth-century British art. This depiction of a pond, filled with African Water Lilies, was painted in the year after his retrospective at The National Museum of Wales in 1968.
Morris was 79 years old when he painted the present work during a winter trip to Madeira. Morris travelled extensively throughout his lifetime. Travel sustained his love of painting and horticulture, providing opportunities to seek new and exciting subject matter and a wealth of unfamiliar plants and seeds which he took back to England to cultivate. This sojourn was among Morris’ last major trips abroad, taken at a time when he was beginning to struggle to walk long distances; ‘I guess it’s my eightieth year announcing itself,’ he wrote to Lett-Haines during his trip.[1]
In another letter, also sent from Madeira, Morris mentions his artistic accomplishments in passing – ‘I have painted a picture, finished today.’[2] – a reference that may well relate to this work. Bursting with vitality, the lush foliage and vibrant flowers capture the abundance of the Madeira landscape, almost mistakable for an English country garden. Morris’ characteristically unusual perspective offers a dynamic view of the pond and waterlilies, as if the easel and canvas were poised precariously at the water’s edge.
[1] Cedric Morris, letter to Arthur Lett-Haines quoted in Hugh St. Clair, (2019) A Lesson in Art & Life: The Colourful World of Cedric Morris & Arthur Lett-Haines. London, Pimpernel Press Ltd, p.179.
[2] Cedric Morris, letter to Arthur Lett-Haines, Tate Archive, TGA 8317/1/4/171.
