This charming early 20th-century oil painting by English artist John Falconar Slater (1857-1937) depicts a rustic cottage with mature trees and a duck pond. Slater was an accomplished, Royal Academy exhibited, painter of landscapes, seascapes and scenes.
Rendered in dabs and textured marks, numerous ducks waddle by a silvery pond, before a quaint ramshackle cottage, nestled into foliage. A figure ambles left.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Slater’s route into art was a rather unconventional one but, despite this, he became one of the foremost British impressionists of his generation. His early years were spent in gainful employment as a bookkeeper for his father’s milling business. But before long, he sought independence and riches by travelling to the lucrative diamond fields of South Africa. Here, he might’ve conceivably stayed but, following a fierce storm, his enterprise was destroyed, leaving him with no option but to return home.
When back in England, he pursued an artistic career in earnest with overcast skies, tumbling waves, and fierce winds, integral to his work. However, he was equally adept at capturing enchanting rural scenes with spirited brushwork as we see here. Note the treatment of the reflection in the pond, simple and suggestive, yet equally descriptive. The water appears to ripple.
Resisting the pull of the London art scene, he remained in North Shields for the remainder of his life and developed a solid local reputation. This, in turn, translated into national accolades and ultimately the walls of the Royal Academy. Given his late start, it was an impressive achievement.
Today, he’s represented in numerous public collections including the Bank of England Museum, the National Maritime Museum, and the Government Art Collection.
Signed in the lower right and held in a later frame.
Learn more about John Falconar Slater in our directory.
Medium: Oil on board
Overall size: 25” x 19” / 64cm x 49cm
Year of creation: c. 1920
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £4,200 for ‘Over Putney Heath’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, The London Sale, London, 2002 (lot 33).
Our reference: BRV2056
