About this lot

Description

§ Ethelbert White, RWS (British, 1891-1972) In the Woods signed 'Ethelbert White' (lower right) oil on board 49 x 39cm (19 x 15in)
Provenance: Maltzahn Gallery Ltd, London, 1972 (label verso) Exhibited: London, The Leicester Galleries, 'Exhibition of Works by Ethelbert White', April 1929, no.13 (label verso) Other Notes: Ethelbert White was essentially a wood engraver who was a founder member of the English Wood Engraving Society in 1925. He produced designs for booklets on the Russian ballet, 'L'Oiseau de feu', and illustrated 'The Story of My Heart' by Richard Jefferies in 1923. The latter has long been regarded as the first publication in Britain to be illustrated with modern engravings. White was also a committed painter, he was elected to the London Group in 1915 and he became a member of the New English Art Club in 1921. 'In the Woods' demonstrates the influences of White's woodblock engravings as well as his respect for the Impressionist painters of France. The subject of the picture also shows Ethelbert's love of the English landscape. He and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased a horse-drawn gypsy caravan and they travelled through the counties of Surrey and Sussex. It is possible that the solitary female figure in the painitng is Elizabeth White. The present lot was purchased from the memorial exhibition held at the Maltzahn Gallery in 1972, one of a number of exhibitions to take place following the death of Ethelbert White

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