TRISTRAM HILLIER, R.A. (BRITISH 1905 - 1983) Étretat,... Lot 236

TRISTRAM HILLIER, R.A. (BRITISH 1905 - 1983) Étretat, 1939 Oil on canvas, 60 x 80cm (23¾ x 31½) Signed 'Hillier' (lower left); inscribed and dated 'ETRETAT 1939' (on the reverse) Provenance: With Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, where purchased by the present owner's family. Exhibited: London, Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd, 7th May - 1st June 1946, Paintings of Tristram Hillier, (catalogue record no. unknown); Bradford, Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, June 11 - 31 July 1983, A Timeless Journey: Tristram Hiller R.A 1905 - 1983, cat. no.18 (illustrated p.21 & catalogue description p.44) The beach with its drying nets and jet-black fishing boats etched against the luminous Norman sky, and throwing deep translucent shadows upon the shingle, excited me enormously and formed the subject for what I considered some of the best paintings I have ever made.[1] Hillier’s reference to that ‘luminous Norman sky’ describes the time he spent in the town of Étretat on the northwestern coast of France. It was a place that fulfilled him greatly as an artist and provided constant inspiration during the three years he spent living there. His draw to the place was shared with many other painters and Étretat had long been considered an artistic haven, attracting the likes of Delacroix, Courbet and Monet. The latter of which stayed at the Hotel Blanquet, the very same one that appears in this present work. During his time there Monet made repeated images of the infamous arches of the white chalk cliffs, representing cycles within a landscape depicted at different times of the day, of the year or from a variety of perspectives. In this work Hillier has positioned himself and our viewpoint from one of the jutting cliff faces that form part of the second arch of Porte d’Aval. We are looking down over the town and beach front of Étretat, and the third arch, Porte d’Amont, is visible in the distance. Atop of that cliff sits the church Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde and behind it the original monument to the L’Oiseau Blanc (White Bird) which commemorated the failed voyage of the biplane that disappeared in 1927 during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic voyage. The monument depicted by Hillier was destroyed by the occupying German army in 1942. The town is populated with brick and stone buildings and British, American and French flags fly proudly in the wind, particularly pertinent in relation to the change that will overcome this small commune in Normandy in the following year. The beachfront is dotted with multicoloured cabins and upturned fishing boats. Holidaymakers either sun themselves on the sand or relax on the balcony overlooking the beach, under large umbrellas. On the cliff face a pair of couples enjoy the fresh air. The ‘deep translucent shadows’ Hillier referred to are abundant in the work, the sun at its highest point casting sharp silhouettes across the sand. While this work is different to other examples of the period, which are more straightforwardly ‘Surrealist’ in character, there are certain elements which persist. Hillier seems to be presenting us with an idyll on the cusp of collapse, locals and tourists alike enjoying the last of the peacetime. The two couples now appear to be more putting on a show of elegance and enjoyment for our benefit, dressed up as characters. In this work narrative elements are left unexplained, isolated from each other within this large composition. The scale of the work is also unusual, given his other works of this period, which are tighter and more constrained. A large portion of the composition is taken over with an expanse of blue sky, while the cliff face, town and beachfront occupy a small fraction of the overall composition. It serves to create a broad expansive panorama, infusing the scene with a more dramatic element than otherwise might have been achieved with a smaller composition. Other examples of his work while living in Étretat follow a more sinister note, though still working within the theme of the seaside and marine life. These works may suggest a greater awareness or acceptance of the impending threat of violence, darker in tone and showing empty beaches, no longer enjoyed by holiday makers or used by local fishermen. Such as The Beach at Yport (fig 1), another seaside port up along the coast which Hillier visited many times, or Fishing Craft at Étretat 1939 (National Gallery of Canada). A recurring theme of abandonment is typical of his paintings of this period. Objects are washed up on beaches, items of clothing left behind and by focusing in on them and using them as props, they are shown out of context in order to produce an element of visual suspense. Hillier had settled in Normandy in 1937 with his second wife Leda. They had met while both were travelling through Austria. She was there with her father Captain Sydney Hardcastle, a retired Anglo-Irish naval engineer. The two married soon after meeting, Hillier