Irish Art Archive - Nathaniel Hill - Milmo-Penny Fine Art

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	Nathaniel Hill 1861 - 1934 Sunshine, Brittany Oil on canvas 18 x 12 inches. Signed by the artist dated 1884 Title inscribed by the artist on label verso Price on application: dominic@mpfa.ie Provenance: Mrs. Place; by descent to her daughter: dispersal sale, 16 Alma Road, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, Hamilton & Hamilton, 1st May, 1986, lot no 248; Milmo-Penny Fine Art; Private collection, Dublin Exhibited: Royal Hibernian Academy, 1885, number 257; ‘Onlookers In France’, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork, 1993; ‘Peintres Irlandais en Bretagne’ Musée de Pont-Aven, France, 1999; Irish Artists in Brittany, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork 200; 'Nathaniel Hill and the Bretons', Milmo-Penny Fine Art, December 2007 Literature Dublin University Review, Illustrated Art Supplement, Dublin, London, 1885, p.14; Campbell, Julian, ‘The Irish Impressionists’, National Gallery of Ireland, 1984, pp. 131, 132 Throughout the centuries, artists have regarded the painting of light as the ultimate challenge. As the title suggests, this is the central theme of this painting and celebrated in every detail. Above the steps, a birdcage is protected from the harsh sunlight by an overhanging branch; the colourful geraniums, displayed in terra cotta pots on the window sill, bask in the bright light; a sun bleached tablecloth hangs over a rail to dry. A dovecote, just below the dormer window, is dramatised by the dark shadows of its three small entrances. The monotony of the blue slate roof is broken by white paint of the dormer window and the subdued ochre of the parched moss that has formed in the shadows. However, it is perhaps the narrative of the painting that makes it so enthralling. An old woman sits in the sunshine on the stone steps below her living quarters. As she knits, she raises her head to greet another woman, perhaps her daughter, who carries a large earthenware vessel, probably filled with water for the midday meal. It is the simplicity of the encounter that holds our attention. Hill cleverly places the central figure in front of the dark shadow of the building so that the gleaming white of her costume is shown in high relief. Mortimer Menpes: La boutique du sabotier, Pont-Aven Engraving, 1881, 25 x 17cm., mirror image: courtesy of Musée de Pont-Aven The setting is a house situated just behind the main square in Pont-Aven. A number of chickens peck around the base of some planks that lean against the building. The timber is the raw material for the sabot carving that took place in the workshop. We can tell this from an engraving by Mortimer Menpes of 1881, illustrated on page 2, which shows a group of villagers gathered in the courtyard. In the engraving, the villagers are attended to by the sabotier as he emerges from the doorway with a newly carved pair of sabots. They are carefully examined by a lady as her companion searches through a pile of shoes stacked against the workshop wall. As a rare signed and dated work, Sunshine, Brittany gives us the opportunity to compare Hill's technique of the period to that of Walter Osborne. At this time, they were both painting similar subject matter in an almost identical style. This is hardly surprising when we consider that they had studied together for a number of years. As this example shows, Hill devotes much attention to the miniscule detail of stone, pointing and roof tiles and it may have been this fascination with precise detail that gives his figures a static appearance. That is not to say that the figures do not enhance the work. However, Osborne’s primary aim was to animate his paintings with groups of figures, using the buildings merely as a backdrop, and this is the most reliable way of separating their work. Goose Girl in a Breton Farmyard Oil on canvas 18 x 14 3/4 inches. Signed by the artist dated 1884 Provenance James Adam, Dublin; Milmo-Penny Fine Art; Collection of Allied Irish Banks plc, Dublin Exhibited Royal Hibernian Academy, 1884, No. 217 as A Corner in a Breton Farmyard?: Milmo-Penny Fine Art, June 1991; ‘Peintres Irlandais en Bretagne’ Musée de Pont-Aven, France, 1999; Irish Artists in Brittany, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork 2001; Municipal Gallery, Drogheda, current loan. The scene depicted here has been identified as la Ferme de Keranperchec at Pont-Aven. The same farmyard was painted by a number of other artists, the obvious attraction being the picturesque well. A similar ruined well in another farmyard was painted by the American artist Julian Alden Weir during his short stay at Pont-Aven in 1874. This is another good example of Hill's preoccupation with surface texture, which he handles here with great skill. He also shows in this work his ability to plan a good composition. The subject matter was one he returned to again and again. Brady's Farm Oil on panel 11 x 15 inches. Inscribed verso: Nathaniel Hill; Queensborough; Drogheda, Co. Louth; Brady's Farm, Spring, 1897 Provenance McHugh Bond collection, The Argory, Moy, Co. Tyrone; The Argory contents, Temple Auctions, Lisburn, 12th November, 1988, lot 427, purchased by J. Mullin, Glengormley, Co. Antrim; de Veres, Dublin, 13 December, 1988, lot 35; Exhibited Milmo-Penny Fine Art, May 1992 This is an extremely rare example of Hill’s work from his post Breton years. Although the style appears much more modern, isolated detail shows a remarkable degree of similarity to his earlier work. The palette is also similar to that used in Brittany, particularly the blue-greys of the roof and distant hillside. His treatment of the foliage around the cottages is also familiar, especially in the overhanging branches in the foreground. The stone steps leading to the loft must have reminded him of his journeys through the French countryside. The location has not been identified, but the buildings and landscape are typical of the countryside surrounding Drogheda. The painting was attributed by Temple Auctions to Tom Bond Walker on stylistic grounds. After the auction, a backing board was removed and the inscription identifying the painting as a Nathaniel Hill was revealed. Hill shared lodgings with Roderic O'Conor at Pembroke Road in Dublin, where they both attended the Metropolitan School of Art. Considering this, it is extraordinary how their styles diverged within a few years. He also studied with Walter Osborne and Joseph Malachy Kavanagh at the Royal Hibernian Academy and also at the Antwerp Academy. During the mid 1880s, the three young artists painted together in Brittany and at various locations in England. Jules Bastien-Lepage was in Brittany at the same time and it appears that his work influenced the Irish contingent. Lepage had the benefit of a first class training under Cabanel. His subject matter was influenced by Millet and others of the Barbizon school. However, his palette and tonal range was very much in the manner of the Impressionists. This was an interesting and successful mix, especially when applied to the plein air subject matter, which had been made popular by the painters in the forests around Barbizon earlier in the century. Zola describes it as, "Impressionism corrected, sweetened and adapted to the taste of the common crowd". While a note of sarcasm may be detected here, it is close enough to the truth. Forbes, O'Kelly, Garstin and Burke were also influenced by Lepage but it is debateable whether or not Zola's description applies across the board. 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