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Charles Cundall
(1890 - 1971)
Pont Neuf, Dusk, Paris
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Charles Cundall (1890 - 1971)
Size:
Height – 41.5cm
Width – 59cm
Clearly painted in situ, the use of several sheets of paper leaves an engaging record of Cundall’s working method: his compositions evolved – almost unfolded – in front of him.
Both before and after the Second World War, Cundall made numerous sketching trips, travelling extensively in Europe. He was especially drawn to Paris and scenes along the Seine. Painting in oil on paper, en plein air,these works retain a vitality which Cundall sometimes lost when working up the finished, larger, paintings in his studio.
Cundall’s working technique was dependant upon sketching on the spot to create images that would later be worked up into larger paintings in the studio. Here one would find him working form many drawings and colour notes accumulated during some recent journey. He prefers working with such aids to memory, on a fine canvas with soft hog and sable brushes, occasionally using a palette knife, and laying on colour instinctively rather than by methodical system. (William Gaunt, Charles Cundall R.A, A Study of his Life and Work).
Painter, potter and stained glass artist, born in Stratford, Lancashire. After working as a designer for Pilkington’s Pottery Company under Gordon Forsyth, Cundall studied at Manchester School of Art, obtaining a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, 1912. After World War I army service he returned to the Royal College in 1918, then from 1919 to 1920 attended the Slade, and furthered his studies in Paris. Cundall traveled widely in several continents and became noted for his panoramic pictures, such as Bank Holiday Brighton, in the Tate Gallery (accession no. NO4700). He was a member of NEAC, RP, RWS and other bodies and was a prolific RA exhibitor. He had first solo show at Colnaghi 1927. He was an Official War Artist in World War II, during which time he was sent to Quebec (1944). In the same year he was elected RA. His wife was the artist Jacqueline Pietersen.
His technical facility – especially when working on large panoramic canvases – was remarkable. His pictures are rich with texture, light and movement. He was equally at ease with aerial views, landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, and was a master of crowd scenes. His work as an Official War Artist has never received the attention it merits.
