Edward Atkinson Hornel 1864-1933

STRUCTURE This panel is in excellent origianl condition with clear colouring and rich impasto throughout. The panel is substantial and has not bowed or cracked. There are no signs of craquelure and the paint surface appears to be stable throughout. The picture is ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are no visible signs of retouching. FRAME This picture is contained in a moulded plaster frame and under glass.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1893 Hornel and George Henry visited Japan, funded by among others, the picture dealer Alexander Reid and the Glasgow collector and shipowner William Burrell. They embarked from Liverpool on the 18th of February on the steamer Pegu, bound for Rangoon. Hornel described his reasons for visiting Japan thus, 'Japanese art, rivalling in splendour the greatest art is Europe, engenders in the artist the desire to see and study the environment out of which this great art sprung, to become personally in touch with the people, to live their life, and discover the source of their inspiration.' (Bill Smith, The Life and Work of Edward Atkinson Hornel, 1997,  pg. 89) The two artists arrived in Nagasaki in late April, a beautiful time of the year to be introduced to Japan, with the last snow still on the ground and the plum trees laden with blossom. The artists based themselves in Tokyo and although they had wanted to experience Japanese life, governments regulations restricted their meeting with local people. However in the grounds of Ueno park and nearby Asakusa, Hornel was able to interact with families enjoying the sunshine; 'I associate and love to remember them, as a large and happy family, clattering along in the sunshine with smiling faces and no thought of the morrow, to spend the day 'mid plum and cherry blossom, or at night joyous and elevated with saki, amusing themselves with pretty geishas, dancing to the weird music.' (Ibid Smith, pg. 93) Hornel was fascinated by the tea ceremonies, the beautiful dancing, the elegance of the young women and their vibrant costume. The paintings he produced in Japan reflect his enthusiasm for the country and its people. Hornel and Henry returned home on the 19th May 1894 after thirteen months in Japan.

The accessibility of the pictures painted in Japan made them immediately engaging to the visitors of Reid's gallery, where they were exhibited in April 1895. The Glasgow Evening Standard summed up the content of the exhibition; 'They represent Japanese singing girls, Japanese dancing girls, Japanese fetes, Japanese amusements. Here are a dozen youthful Japs paddling about in tubs in the Bay of Tokio; there is a Japanese theatre; in one canvas a group of Japanese young ladies are represented indulging in a game of battledore and shuttlecock, in another two Japanese ladies inspect the silks exposed for sale in a Tokio shop, in a third a lady watches a group of boats putting out to sea, in a fourth the magnificent cherry blossom is displayed in all its lush luxuriance, all its wealth of bright, even blazing colour.' ( William Buchanan, Mr Henry and Mr Hornel Visit Japan, exhibition catalogue for Glasgow Art Gallery, 1978, p. 96)