THE MASTERY OF STILL LIFE

Having lost all of his possessions, Hunter chose to return to Glasgow though he frequently visited Paris for creative inspiration, where the carefree, modern atmosphere echoed that of his San Francisco lifestyle. Despite these stimuli, Hunter initially looked to re-develop skills of observation and colour in his painting.

In this early period, richly detailed still lives set against dark black backgrounds share closer links to Dutch masters of the past, rather than the avant-garde; but Hunter’s talent shone through. Gallery owner Alexander Reid granted Hunter his first solo exhibition in Glasgow in 1913. This became a critical relationship for Hunter to launch his career once more. Flowers became a favoured and consistently re-visited subject. 

Amid World War I, Hunter’s visit to Étaples gave way to clear post-Impressionist influences. Cézanne, Matisse and Van Gogh’s expressive application of line, perspective and colour encouraged a shift of Hunter’s own handling of paint. A distinctly brighter palette and looser form received much praise at Hunter’s second exhibition in 1916. The drive to harmonise these elements and use colour to establish further form, became all-encompassing for Hunter’s practice across both still life and landscape.

A SCOTTISH COLOURIST

Hunter’s works of the 1920s moved towards thicker, impasto application of paint. He worked instinctively and with a focus on animation and fluidity of form. Hunter’s popularity grew considerably and he became a central member of the ‘Colourists’ alongside S.J. Peploe, J.D. Fergusson and F.C.B. Cadell, all known for drawing inspiration from the French post-Impressionists and their associated use of colour as an emotive tool. Hunter first exhibited with Peploe and Cadell in 1923 at the Leicester Galleries, London.

Despite this acclaim, Hunter was never satisfied. He consistently longed to advance his work to discover something new. He delved deeper into Cézanne and Matisse’s decorative handling of colour, pattern and composition creating domestic scenes of fruit, flowers, vases and fabrics with riotous use of bold colour and outline.

Hunter also longed to escape from his busy city life and return to the countryside. Each year between 1919 and 1924 he travelled to Scotland, where he stayed in the eastern region of Fife including the farmland hamlet of Drumeldrie. By the mid-1920s the artist pushed once more to create new works with nature at the heart of his subjects, traveling to the South of France and Italy.

Here, Hunter began to utilise a much stronger application of line, shape and flatter perspective into his still life painting, which continued into his later works including a series from the South of France. A happy association developed with the now renowned restaurant and hotel La Colombe d’ Or in Saint-Paul de Vence (where Hunter’s paintings still hang). In a letter to close friend T.J. Honeyman, Hunter wrote: 'I have been in St Paul a week...where I can paint still life as well as landscape. Still life is different from in Glasgow. Fruit is just coming one and flowers are abundant.' - T.J. Honeyman Archives, National Library of Scotland.