Walter Langley, R.I.

Sotheby's, 22 June 1994, lot 22;
Private collection

London, Royal Academy, 1907, no. 290;
Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Autumn Exhibition, 1907;
Southport Art Gallery, 1908;
Manchester, Royal Manchester Institution, 1908;
Newlyn, Passmore Edwards Gallery, 1910;
Plymouth, City Museum and Art Gallery, 1910; 
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Annual Exhibition of European Art, 1912, no.169

Roger Langley, Walter Langley: Pioneer of the Newlyn Art Colony, 1997, pp.135, 171, illustrated p.129;
Roger Langley, Walter Langley, From Birmingham to Newlyn, 2011, p.92-93

STUCTURE Original canvas, which undulates very slightly along the vertical edges. There is a small frame abrastion by the centre of the right edge. There is also a small area of craquelure to the figure's right forearm and also about the figure's legs. There are areas of the surface where the canvas shows through, which might be the working of the artist, otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals an opaque varnish which makes the surface difficult to read conclusively but there appear to be no signs of retouching. FRAME Held in an attractive gilt plaster exhibition frame. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 5718 if you have any questions about the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

When this picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1907, it was reviewed in the Cornish Telegraph; 'Poverty in actual life has little to recommend it, but under the magic of Mr Langley's hand it evidently has its compensations. The surroundings are poor but not squalid; the old man's countenance, on which the artist has bestowed infinite care, expresses contentment with his lot, and the bits of varied coloured clothing about the room and its general unstudied state, lend to the scene a charm which would be absent from the more precise arrangement of a room of the better class. We hear much nowadays of the 'simple life'. Mr Langley has here produced the simple life in its reality. The picture appeals to one, however, by its harmonious treatment; everything seems so natural and the colours blend with such a  charming effect that one loses sight of the actual poverty of the scene and sees only the beauty which has entrapped the artist's innermost soul and which he has successfully transferred to canvas.' (quoted in Roger Langley, Walter Langley: Pioneer of the Newlyn Art Colony, 1997, p.135)

A Flemish Peasant was one of half a dozen pictures painted by Langley at Mol, in the Kempen district of Belgium where Langley stayed during the spring of 1906. Originally the picture was a third larger, with a large proportion of the painting taken up by a tree-trunk which rose from the floor of the dwelling to support the roof. When the picture did not sell, Langley improved the composition by cutting away the section occupied by the trunk to create a better balance for the composition.