PETER LANYON (1918-1964)

Peter Lanyon started gliding in 1959 and by the time he painted Near Cloud, May in 1963, he was frequently flying alone over the land and seascapes of West Cornwall. In preceding years Lanyon had pioneered a gestural and empathetic abstraction rooted in the landscape surrounding his native St Ives. Embarking on a new way of experiencing his environment, gliding had an immediate and transformative effect on his painting and heralded a final period of remarkable originality and vitality. Near Cloud, May captures a sensation of flight with wonderful swiftness and clarity as ink, gouache, charcoal and oil pastel are applied sparingly but with great force.

We are very grateful to Toby Treves for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.