Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881-1968)
| Artist Name | Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881-1968) |
|---|---|
| Title | Fountains at Pernes Les Fountaines, Provence |
| Description | Do you like fountains? Sylvia Gosse certainly did, as the location of this painting is the French town of Pernes Les Fountaines in Provence. The little town has 40 or more fountains, big and small, all serviced by the river Nesque. Gosse was a Camden Town/Sickert School artist and painted this painting circa 1912. It depicts a nocturnal landscape scene with three fountains. The fountains are beautifully illuminated with coloured lights and a large crowd on the banks of the water seem to have gathered to watch this spectacle, some having brought their own chairs. The coloured lights cast beautiful tones of pinky red on to the on lookers. Across the water and beyond a tree covered hill stands an impressive columned building. The vibrant colouring, impasto and brushwork are all superb. This is an excellent example of Gosse's work and Sickert's influence as her mentor and life long freind are evident. Signed lower left and also signed and titled verso. |
| Provenance | Private collection of Campden Town Group works. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 19 x 24 inches |
| Frame | Fine John Jones gallery frame, 32 inches by 27 inches. Excellent condition. |
| Condition | Excellent condition. |
| Biography | Daughter of Sir Edmund Gosse, the eminent man of letters, Sylvia Gosse trained at the St John's Wood School of Art, the Royal Academy Schools and under Sickert at the Westminster School of Art. From 1909 she exhibited at Frank Rutter's Allied Artists' Association and began showing with the New English Art Club from 1911. In 1913 she exhibited with the Camden Town Group in their exhibition in Brighton. Her first solo exhibition at the Carfax Gallery in 1916 revealed the influences of both Sickert and Gilman. She was a founder member of the London Group and exhibited over fifty works with them throughout the 1910s and 20s. Remaining very close to Sickert, she taught with him at his Rowlandson House school in London and then followed him to Dieppe where she nursed him through periods of ill health. She was a loyal disciple of Sickert's methods in both painting and etching. In 1934 she instigated the Sickert Fund to support him in his old age. She was also close to Gilman for a period and modelled for him (see Sylvia Gosse, 1913, Southampton City Art Gallery). Admired by the critic Frank Rutter, she was included in his 1935 book Modern Masterpieces where she was recognised as 'belonging to the group of English Impressionists'. In 1989 a significant exhibition of her work was staged at the Michael Parkin Gallery and travelled to the University of Hull. Examples of her work are held by the Tate Gallery and Ashmolean Museum. She spent her final years living near Hastings in Sussex. |
| Price | £7850 |
