17/2016

Paintings, Prints and Drawings

'Two figures in a garden', a view of the garden at the artist's home, 33 Spencer Road, Battersea, south west London, oil on board, signed Carel Weight, 1960s.

Two figures in a garden

painting
oil painting

17/2016

Weight, Carel (artist)

1960-1969 (painted)

London (painted)

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

board
oil paint

painted

The image is painted in oil paint on a piece of hardboard. A variety of techniques are used to depict the textures of the winter garden, the bare earth in the borders is very loosely and thinly painted, branches, canes and the pattern of brickwork have been scratched into the paint, possibly with the end of a paint brush and the artist has used his hands to apply or manipulate the paint in some areas, including the sky where finger marks are clearly visible.

The painting is framed and glazed, in what is assumed to be the original white-painted wooden frame, adapted to meet conservation framing requirements.

'Two figures in a garden' depicts the back garden at 33 Spencer Road, Battersea, the home of Carel Weight and his partner Helen Roeder. It is an ordinary garden, unremarkable in layout, planting or aspect and typical of this part of south west London. There is a rectangular lawn, bordered by flower beds and a path running along one side. It is shown in winter - most of the trees and shrubs are leafless, there is an empty plant pot at the end of the path and bare garden canes sticking up in the border. Part of the next door garden is visible over a wall topped with a piece of trellis. Beyond the gardens the backs of the neighbouring houses can be seen. They are sunstantial, semi-detached Victorian houses, constructed in yellow London brick and one has a lean to or extension built on to the back. A number of windows overlook the gardens. Most have net curtains hanging inside but one is black with spot of bright yellow.

The two figures, a man and a woman, are shown on the garden path, in the forground of the picture. The man appears to be supporting the woman and leading her forwards but his face is turned away from her and she looks downwards. It is not clear what is happening but they appear disconnected from one another and isolated in the space. The ambiguity of the narrative, the bleakness of the winter garden and the twilight colouring of the painting create an uneasy, melancholy atmosphere.

garden
trellis
plants

Height: 72cm
Width: 60.5cm

Gardens
garden ornaments and containers
walls, fences and other boundaries
plants
images of gardens