Julian Trevelyan
Hill Farm, 1944 was painted a year after Julian
Trevelyan’s return from a three-year service in North Africa with the Royal
Engineers. The surrealist atmosphere, and semi-abstracted forms in this
painting could have perhaps found inspiration from Trevelyan’s time in the
desert, where he was tasked to create camouflage for the British army tanks and
equipment. Looking closer, these unusual shapes begin to resemble the houses,
animals and trees nestled within the hillside. The train in the foreground of
the painting alludes to Trevelyan’s developing naïve style that appears more
prominently in his later works.
Provenance
Sotheby’s, London, 24 April 1985, Lot 423.
Ian McVitie Weston, London.
Private Collection, UK.
Literature
P. Trevelyan, Julian Trevelyan: Picture Language, London, 2013, p. 8.