Farmyard (circa 1940)

Frances Mary Hodgkins

oil on canvas

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū

Classification:

Painting

Materials:

Oil, Canvas

Physical Object Description:

Abstracted painting of farmland with two wheels.

Dimensions:

80 x 90 cm

Accession Number:

69/57

Credit:

Presented by the Contemporary Art Society, 1967

Scheme:

Harold Paine Widdup Bequest (1962 -1964)

Ownership history:

Possibly Leicester Galleries, London, 1941; bequeathed by Dr Harold Paine Widdup (1899-1962) to the Contemporary Art Society; presented to Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 1967

Relationship:

Leicester Galleries, London Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū Harold Paine Widdup

Farmyards were a constant source of imagery throughout Frances Hodgkins’s career. This is one of several farmyard paintings she completed around 1940 with a central motif of wagon wheels. In Farmyard (c. 1940) the spokes of the two wheels stand out starkly against a muted background. The wheels take on an almost anthropomorphic quality, resembling two intimidating eyes staring out at the viewer. As is typical of her late period, Hodgkins’s treatment of the subject is loose and lyrical, with highly simplified forms used to represent the houses and church in the background. It was exhibited at Leicester Galleries, London October 1941 where Dr Harold Widdup (1899-1962) probably purchased it before bequeathing his avant-garde art collection to the Contemporary Art Society.

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