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§ Keith Vaughan (British, 1912-1977) Grey Shore Seascape, 1950 oil on hessian laid on board 25 x 34cm (10 x 13in) Literature: Anthony Hepworth and Ian Massey, 'Keith Vaughan, The Mature Oils 1946-1977', Sansom & Company, Bristol, 2012, p. 64, cat.no.AH89 (This catalogue entry states that the painting is signed 'Vaughan') Philip Vann and Gerard Hastings, 'Keith Vaughan', Lund Humphries in association with Osborne Samuel, Surrey, 2012, p.45, ill.39 Other Notes: On the 6th February 1940, Vaughan wrote in his journal: 'There was a mill built against a side water of the creek with a stream piling up against a lock and bursting through into the afternoon. Men loaded something into a large barge, hurriedly…The tide was out, the water had drained off the mud into the single ribbons. It was indescribable as taste, the soft and subtle modulations of colour, amorphous grey mud and red iron and the roots of wood and stumps of broken brickwork and concrete, the hulks of boats with their tarred backs and the sun bleaching and rotting the paintwork'. (Taken from Philip Vann and Gerard Hastings, 'Keith Vaughan', Lund Humphries in association with Osborne Samuel, Surrey, 2012, pp.44-45). The spot mentioned in Vaughan's journal was near to Pagham, West Sussex, where Vaughan's friend and lover, Harold Colebrook's aunt, owned a converted railway carriage. They would spend holidays there between 1935 and 1939, often accompanied by friends. The image must have had a profound impact on Vaughan as he produced numerous paintings of the subject including 'Fishermen and Bathers' (1951), (private collection) and 'Grey Shore with Boat' (Bonhams, London, June 13 2008, lot 4). The gritty appearance of the beach appears to have been achieved by the artist mixing material into the paint, probably sand. At the lower left corner there is a diagonal scratch running through the seated figure. Under ultraviolet light this area appears very dark, suggesting it has been retouched. The area of the beach has been repainted, this appears to cover a lighter green colour which has been varnished. It seems likely that the reworking has been carried out by the artist rather than a later restoration, the legs of the small figure in front of a building at the top of the work appears to be applied over the top. There is also a very minor incision to the board in the top left corner.
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