George Leslie Hunter 1877-1931

Like the other Colourists, Hunter was influenced by the French avant-garde and by the fluid brush work of Manet in particular. However, he was also inspired by the Dutch still life tradition and wrote that `a still life by Kalf [is] beautiful to look at..' (Ibid., p.97). The composition of the present early work certainly reflects this interest and also points to the inspiration taken from the master of the modern Dutch still-life, Vincent Van Gogh. The thick impasto strokes and richly coloured flowers demonstrate a first hand knowledge of Van Gogh's works and in particular, of his still lifes such as Sunflowers, 1888 that Hunter would have seen in London.