The City on the Rock, Evening, Ronda, Spain (1935)

David Garshen Bomberg

charcoal, black chalk on laid paper

Tate, London, Liverpool and St Ives

The City on the Rock, Evening, Ronda, Spain (1935)

Classification:

Drawing and Watercolour

Materials:

Charcoal, Paper

Physical Object Description:

Black chalk on laid paper 470 × 628 (18 1/2 × 24 3/4); watermark ‘INGRES GVA [followed by a diamond device] RRO’
Inscribed ‘Bomberg 35’ bottom left, and ‘The City on The Rock, Evening Ronda Spain’ bottom right, on back

Dimensions:

47 x 62.8 cm

Accession Number:

T04890

Credit:

Presented by Mrs Dinora Davies-Rees and Mrs Juliet Lamont through the Contemporary Art Society, 1987

Scheme:

Gift

Ownership history:

Gifted by Mrs Dinora Davies-Rees (1924-2009) and the artist's daughter-in-law and her daughter, Mrs Juliet Lamont to the Contemporary Art Society, 1987; presented to the Tate Gallery, 1987

Relationship:

Lilian Thirza Charlotte Holt Tate, London, Liverpool and St Ives Dinora Mendelson Davies-Rees Juliet McNeill Lamont

Subject:

Townscape, City, Landscape

This black chalk drawing was made at Ronda in Andalucia, Spain in 1935. It shows houses at the top and foot of the rocky gorge found in the centre of the ancient town. Bomberg first visited Spain when, partly inspired by his admiration for El Greco (1541-1614), he spent the autumn months of 1929 in Toledo. His companion and future wife, Lilian Holt (1898-1983), left their London home to join him. At that time she also travelled independently to southern Spain, visiting Ronda, which she fell in love with, although there was no thought then of living there. In 1934 they returned to Spain and Lilian, now pregnant, liked the idea of being near enough to Gibraltar to arrange for the baby to be born on British soil, so they rented a house at 9 San Juan de Letran in the old part of Ronda until October 1935. Bomberg had a solo exhibition at the Cooling Galleries, London in June-July 1936 which showed a comprehensive selection of work executed in Spain. 11 Ronda drawings were included, each with a specific title, but The City on the Rock, Evening, Ronda, Spain does not appear to be included in this show. Bomberg returned to Ronda in 1954, hoping to establish an art school and although the project failed he remained there until 1957, the year of his death.

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