Café in Vence, Private Collection. Pen and ink and charcoal on paper, 31 x 39 cms.
Upon his arrival at St Paul de Vence in the south of France in late 1926 Hunter sought a studio in which to work. He was told of a small space attached to a hotel in the town, the Auberge de la Colombe d'Or (House of the Golden Dove). Artists regularly stayed at the hotel so the adjoining studio made was an ideal location. Hunter was immediately taken with the town and surrounding countryside and only wished he had come to the South of France sooner. With his simple studio with white-washed walls, the rich sunlight and charming cafés, it was as though he could live as a peasant and feel like a prince.
Still Life, Private Collection. Oil on board, 53.5 x 62.5 cms.
Still Life with Half Peeled Lemon (1919), The Hunterian, University of Glasgow. Oil on canvas, 70 x 56 cms.
After the First World War, Hunter rented a studio in Glasgow. His pre-1920 still lifes are generally characterised by their dark backgrounds such as in this example, and a richer palette than he favoured during the War. The Half Peeled Lemon recalls Dutch still lives of the sort Hunter would have encountered in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove, and at the McManus Art Gallery, Dundee.
Image courtesy of The Hunterian, University of Glasgow Gallery and Museum www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian
Flowers in a Vase and Fruit, Glasgow Museums and Resource Centre. Oil on canvas, 61 x 51 cms.
Image courtesy of Glasgow Museums www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums