Footnotes

Provenance
Mrs De Beers
Sale; Christie's, London, 21 July 1988, lot 306 (as Mixed flowers in a vase, with a bowl of fruit)
Sale; Christie's, London, 6 June 1991, lot 96A, where acquired by the family of the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.

'I am now concentrating on oils and think I have made some advance in that medium. Many of the paintings are thicker – more solid-looking and many of the new ones are still life. Still life fascinates me, nothing can be quite so absorbing or so fascinating to paint' (Paul Nash, October 1927, quoted in Andrew Causey, Paul Nash, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1980, p.133).

Although Nash is most commonly associated with his depictions of the First World War and surreal/symbolic compositions, during the 1920s he executed a small and important body of works focussing on pastoral themes that had briefly occupied him prior to the war. Causey notes the 'extreme painterliness' of these new works that dominated his 1928 Leicester Galleries exhibition (Loc.Cit.). Examining the present example, one is reminded of the early, studied still life compositions of Winifred Nicholson. Indeed, in 1924, Nash visited the Nicholsons at their home, Banks Head, in Cumberland. This visit was part of a broader circle of artists, including Ivon Hitchens and Christopher Wood, who frequented the house, engaging in discussions and collaborative painting sessions. The possible influence of both Winifred and Wood can be seen here in the painterly application of oil, vivid palette and cheerful arrangement of flowers in an earthenware pot placed next to a basket of fruit.

Nash's still life works offer a valuable insight into his artistic evolution and his ability to find beauty and significance in the mundane. When sold at Christie's in 1988, this previously unexhibited painting was inspected by Andrew Causey who confirmed its rightful place in Nash's still life oeuvre and examples such as Summer Flowers in a Vase remain a powerful testament to his versatility and depth as an artist.