Cornish Colony Collaborations: David Tovey on Dame Laura
Knight
Colwall Village Hall - Saturday 13th October
Did you know that during World War One artists were not
allowed to paint the horizon on the coast? When Dame Laura Knight visited St
Ives in 1915 to paint, the local constable kept a close eye on the progress of
her paintings to ensure that their location was kept secret! He also objected
to her painting the children who were not wearing swimming trunks. In fact it
is believed that ‘Boys Bathing’ was
altered at a later date by a vigilante censor!
These are just some of the eye opening facts about the
career of Dame Laura Knight that David Tovey revealed to the audience at his
talk ‘Cornish Colony Collaborations’. Part of the ‘Autumn In Malvern Festival’, this illustrated talk looked at
paintings by Dame Laura Knight and her husband Harold that were created in St
Ives and the surrounding area between 1915 and 1949, comparing them with their
Cornish contemporaries.
Tovey began his presentation by describing Laura’s education.
Whilst studying at Nottingham School of Art she visited an exhibition of the
Newlyn School at Nottingham Castle. This exhibition of 1894 was described at
the time as containing the most important works of the century. The Newlyn School’s
style was inspired by the French revolutionary movement Impressionism.
Laura married Harold Knight in 1903 and after many holidays
to Cornwall between 1904 and 1907, the Knights moved there. They befriended
many acclaimed Cornish artists including: Dod Procter, Charles Simpson, Alfred
Munnings, Harold and Gertrude Harvey, and Lamorna Birch.
All of the above artists painted outside (en plein air) just as the Impressionists
had done. Tovey explained how different locations affected the subject matter
of Cornish artists. The light is perfect in St Ives for painting marinescapes,
however the south facing position of Newlyn meant that marinescapes would have
to be painted towards the sun, therefore artists there tended to paint figures
and landscapes.
It was refreshing to see Tovey give such importance to
female artists, expressing their camaraderie and close friendships. Knight was
made a Dame in 1929 for her services to art and in 1936 became the first woman
to become a Royal Academician.
Tovey pointed out how unusual both Laura Knight and Dod
Procter were as women painting female nudes, a subject matter attributed to
male artists with connotations of voyeurism. Were they trying to be seen as
equals to men with no subject matter barred to them? Were they trying to
present the female nude in a more sensitive way? Or did they themselves harbour
voyeuristic tendencies? We will probably never know.
In shedding light on a different aspect of Dame Laura
Knight’s life, I believe the audience (many of them Friend’s of the Dame Laura
Knight Society) were left with the realisation that “the more you find out the
less you know”. I have definitely been inspired to find out more about this
fascinating local artist.
This talk was presented in association with The Friends of
Dame Laura Knight Society
Key Paintings (by Dame Laura Knight):
‘The boys’
‘Lamorna Birch and his
Daughters’
‘Girls Bathing’
‘Lizzie at the Wash
Basin’
Also:
‘Morning Light’ Robert Borlase Smart
‘Vera and Phyllis’ Charles Simpson
‘Gone To Cliff’ Alfred Munnings
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