Cornish Harbour by William Scott, 1913-1989

William Scott, 1913-1989
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Cornish Harbour

Original lithograph in four colours (olive green, yellow, grey and black). 1951. Signed in pencil. Numbered in pencil from the edition of 60. Printed at the studio in Corsham, 1951. First exhibited Redfern Galley, 1951.
Ref: Cooke 2.

Very fine strong impression with excellent colours. On soft pale cream wove paper. Generally excellent condition; very slightest traces of soiling at the extreme outer margin edges and some flecking from the press on the reverse of the sheet only (not foxing). 1 1/8"- 1 5/8" margins. Sheet: 15" x 18". Plate: 13" x 16" (330x410mm).

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Cornish Harbour is one of the key works in William Scott?s graphic work. He had first visited Cornwall in 1936, and then after a period in France he returned there in the mid-1940?s joining the circle of leading British painters who were based in and around St. Ives - such as Nicholson, Lanyon, Frost, Wynter etc. At this period of his work he was striving to capture what he referred to as a ?primitive realism?, whilst at the same time moving towards the concept of an abstract arrangement of forms which would symbolise and convey the same emotional concept. Cormish Harbour was drawn at the end of this period of association with the St. Ives group and it typifies this moment of transition between realism and abstraction, the olive green, yellow and grey colour tone balanced with the rhythm of the forms.

Scott learned the art of lithography in the army whilst serving in the map-making section of the Royal Engineers, and it was also there that he met Henry Cliffe. After the War Cliffe became the teacher of printmaking at the very influential Corsham School of Art and in 1946 Scott became the Painting Master there. Under Cliffe?s guidance Scott became extremely enthusiastic about the creative role of lithography and over the period to the early 1960?s he was to draw some of the most significant and beautiful lithographs of this period of growing abstraction in British art.