Ivon Hitchens British, 1893-1979

'The essence of my theory is that colour is space and space is colour'. - Ivon Hitchens

'Hitchens in West Sussex provides the most distinguished example of the profound personal identification of a painter with a special place, or landscape.' - Patrick Heron

Ivon Hitchens is widely regarded as being England’s greatest 20th century landscape painter; his work is represented in public art galleries worldwide. In the 1920s and 30s Hitchens was part of a core group of avant-garde artists living in London; working alongside artists such as Piet Mondrian, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Paul Nash and Ben Nicholson. A founding member of the Seven & Five Society which promoted abstract art, Hitchens eventually went his own way, having developed his own characteristic style that was a fusion of both abstract and figurative painting.

When a bomb exploded next to his Hampstead studio in 1940, Hitchens and his family decamped to the Sussex wilderness, near Petworth, moving into a gypsy caravan where he became immersed in the surrounding landscape. The early influence of Cèzanne and Matisse is perhaps most clearly observed in Hitchens’ early landscapes, in which his use of colour and handling of space can be traced back to the French Impressionists. The earthy colour landscapes of the 1940s evolved into vibrant colour and broad and fluid strokes.

'Hitchens’s sensuousness, his control of colour-resonance and his almost calligraphic, unfailingly rhythmic manipulation of pigment all stem direct from the Fauves. His spatial grammar, on the other hand – the fact that he conceives of forms in space in terms of a system of flat screens of colour lying one behind another – this is purely Cubist in origin.' – Patrick Heron

In this artwork, figures are depicted in the midst of a lush, verdant landscape, with a lily pond occupying the center of the composition. The figures are rendered with simplified forms and gestural brushstrokes, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Hitchens' use of colour is vibrant and expressive, with bold splashes of greens, blues, and earth tones creating a sense of depth and atmosphere within the painting. The lily pond serves as a focal point within the composition, its still waters reflecting the surrounding foliage and sky. The surface of the pond is rendered with loose, fluid brushwork, capturing the play of light and shadow with a sense of spontaneity and movement. The overall effect is one of harmony and balance, as the figures and landscape merge together to form a cohesive and unified whole.

Hitchens' approach to composition is dynamic and fluid, with the arrangement of forms and colors creating a sense of rhythm and flow within the painting. The juxtaposition of organic shapes and geometric patterns adds visual interest and complexity, inviting viewers to explore the intricacies of the scene. "Figures by a Lily Pond" captures the timeless beauty and quietude of the natural world. The figures, immersed in their surroundings, seem to exist in harmony with the landscape, reflecting the artist's reverence for the interconnectedness of all living things.