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Artist or Maker: Robert Polhill Bevan (1865-1925)
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Provenance: The artist, and by descent to the present owner.
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Exhibited: London, Goupil Gallery, Robert Bevan Memorial Exhibition, February 1926, no. 142, as 'The Inn, Luppitt': this exhibition travelled to Brighton, Public Art Gallery, August 1926, no. 14.
London, Lefevre Gallery, Paintings by Robert Bevan, Drawings by Keith Vaughan, May 1944, no. 21.
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Notes: VARIOUS PROPERTIES
Robert Bevan spent most of 1924 working in Luppitt, Devon, which is most likely the year that he painted the present lot. His son comments that 'it was a surprisingly experimental year for a man of fifty-nine' (R. Bevan, Robert Bevan 1865-1925 A memoir by his son, London, 1965, p. 23). He captured the Red Lion pub in Luppitt on at least three occasions, once in watercolour and charcoal and twice in oils. One of these paintings called The Pub, Luppitt, Devon (sold at Christie's, London, 27 March 1997, lot 32) is painted in very bold colours, probably during the height of the summer of 1924. The other painting of the pub is the present lot. Although they are painted from the same angle there are clear differences between them, and these mark Bevan's interest in the different effects of light and climate on his subject.
The view of the pub from this viewpoint clearly appealed to Bevan: the angularity of the chimney piece nearest to the picture plane stands out against the white of the main building, and the eye is drawn through the gate and to the back of the courtyard to the buildings furthest away. There are various differences between the two paintings: superficial changes are clear, for example the present work shows the gates closed, but they are open in The Pub, Luppitt, Devon and cast heavy shadows in the bright sunshine. It is also evident that a length of time has lapsed between him painting the two pictures. It is most likely that the present lot was painted first: there is an area of repair work on the thatched roof at the back of the composition which is not present in The Pub, Luppitt, Devon and the lowest window in the furthest building is only half surrounded by vegetation - the window in The Pub, Luppitt, Devon is entirely surrounded.
We are very grateful to Patrick Baty for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
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