Christopher Wood (1901-1930)

Most of Wood's greatest works, from 1929 and 1930, contained seaside and harbour themes. In the main, these were executed in Cornwall, where he painted with Ben and Winifred Nicholson, and in Brittany, France. In his paintings of boats, Wood diligently included the identification number to indicate where the boat was registered to. In the present work 'PZ 146' identifies it as registered at Penzance. The harbour and fishing village in this work are the same as that found in another painting of 1930, PZ 134, Cornwall (Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne).

The present work includes many of the classic elements of Wood's most important pieces - bold green pigments for the boat and the sea, a low key, near primitive, landscape. The boat grabs our attention and is the centrepiece of the composition. Close inspection of the painting reveals how very simple and unaffected Wood's style could be - very conservative brush strokes, minimal detail in respect of objects, yet his eye and his brush make the entire composition work impressively.