Prunella Clough 1919-1999

Clough's first one-woman show was in the Leger Gallery, London, in the year of this painting and aged 28. Having been taught by Henry Moore at the Chelsea School of Art, Clough had a great understanding of form, evident in the Tate's The White Root (1946; T03810; currently in their Walk Through British Art). However, this post-war painting is much more about atmosphere, focused as it is on the bleak industrial landscapes and earthy palette that would become so important in her work. Her focus on landscapes that reference humanity was possibly inspired by her wartime service as a cartographer, or the time she spent drawing London's rail yards with John Berger. "I prefer to look at the urban or industrial scene or any unconsidered piece of ground." (quoted in Ben Tufnell, 'Prunella Clough,' Tate, 2007, p. 43).

Provenance

Estate of the Artist;
Annely Juda, London