After the First World War, George Leslie Hunter was filled with renewed creative vigour. The opportunity to resume travel into Europe enabled Hunter to immerse himself with the works of Post-Impressionist artists including Paul Cézanne, whose vibrant colour palette and use of line was of great influence.

The development of landscape painting started in 1918 when Hunter returned to Scotland. He began to explore Fife - a popular haunt for artists – and honed his skill of en plein air painting, which breathed a new energy and light into his paintings. Over the 1920s, Hunter saw much success from critics and collectors as a result of this development of style. During his Glasgow solo exhibition with Alexander Reid, it was commented ‘Mr Hunter…never falls into a groove in his vigorous presentation of the beautiful in Nature. On the contrary his works act as stimulants, stirring one into thought.’ (B. Smith & J. Marriner, Hunter Revisited: The life and art of Leslie Hunter, Edinburgh, 2012, p.109-110).

Unlike his contemporaries Hunter painted throughout the year, finding himself compelled to paint even in the darker winter months to produce new, exhibition-ready works. By 1923 and under constant strain, his health was in decline. Despite this, the following year marked another significant and encouraging turning point for the artist. He pushed once more to develop his practice, changing his landscape painting site to Loch Lomond, where the combination of houseboats, water and lush greenery provided a heightened contrast of form. With new-found influence from Henri Matisse, Hunter began to utilise a much stronger application of line, shape and flatter perspective into his work which continued into his later works. He returned to Fife and France to implement this new style which was met with praise.

In 1931, what would be the final year of his life, Hunter rented a houseboat with his girlfriend Marnie Scrafton in Loch Lomond. He produced numerous sketches and paintings of the area, capturing the landscape with a softer handling of paint. The reflections and dappled light along the loch and peaceful forest paths (as in the present work) convey a timeless beauty and serenity that the artist must have felt while surrounded by nature; a true escape from the poor physical and mental state he was in.

This painting was once owned by Major
Ion Harrison, a champion of the Scottish Colourist group. Upon seeing the works
of Peploe, Cadell, Hunter and Fergusson, Harrison became enamoured by the refreshingly
modernist style and soon befriended each of the artists. Discussing Hunter’s painting
in his personal collection, Harrison stated, ‘Hunter always maintained that he
was not painting for today but for fifty years hence…Having lived twenty-five
years with several of them I find that Hunter’s prophecy is coming true.’ (Major
Ion R. Harrison).