William Russell Flint

Sir William Russell Flint, R.A., P.R.W.S., R.S.W. (1880-1969) Breakfast in Périgord: The model and the hour glass signed with initials (lower right) and dated '3.2.67' (lower left) and inscribed '1 fine line block mounted, with 4 proofs please/Kindly be most careful not to rub the drawing. 12¾ x 7¾' (lower margin) and further inscribed '7"/53.7' (centre right margin) white chalk on black prepared paper, unframed 15 x 10½ in. (38.1 x 26.7 cm.) with Perigord Fine Arts, Worcestershire. Sir W.R. Flint, Breakfast in Périgord, London, 1968, p. 85. The present drawing was part of a series of studies that Russell Flint executed as an investigation into layout and decoration, being reproduced using a very disciplined and technical process known as 'fine line blocks' that depended on the fact that the white chalk remained pure in colour with no smudging or smoothing of the surface allowed.

Sir William Russell Flint R.A., P.R.W.S. (British, 1880-1969) Cecilia signed 'W Russell Flint' and inscribed 'For the Stephensons / from Cecilia' (lower left); titled 'Cecilia' and inscribed 'drawn on French paper dated 1793' (lower edge, under mount) red chalk on paper 17 x 11 1/4in (43.2 x 28.5cm) with Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, Worcestershire, England.

Sir William Russell Flint, R.A., P.R.W.S., R.S.W. (British, 1880-1969) The Painted Bridge signed 'W. RUSSELL FLINT-' (lower left); signed and inscribed with the title and the artist's address on the stretcher oil on canvas 59¼ x 39 3/8 in. (151 x 100 cm.) Sir Alec Black, London. PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION London, The Fine Art Society, Exhibition of Recent Paintings and Watercolours by W. Russell Flint, 1923, no. 9. Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, 55th Autumn Exhibition of Works by W. Russell Flint, 1927, no. 126. William Russell Flint's long-limbed and nubile young women have become the epitome of sensual glamor from the first decades of the twentieth century. Like Hollywood screen goddesses or New York fashion models, they strut, pose and recline in various attitudes of sexual abandonment. In The Painted Bridge, the artist depicts three such young women draped, leaning against and seated upon a painted Japanese bridge in a water garden. Stripped to the waist for swimming or basking in the summer sunlight, they are exposed to the viewer like marble statues of ancient goddesses and are set apart from the modern world. Unlike other works by Flint in which he consciously included items of modern dress such as a bathing hat or a pair of slippers, these girls are simply draped in diaphanous robes of flower-tinted hues, suggestive of the Classical age. Their hairstyles also evoke those of Greek maidens of Antiquity, rather than the modern women of the Jazz Age. These three women are depicted as the daughters of a timeless age of female beauty and in comparison to the drawings and watercolors executed by Flint throughout his career these women are monumental in their fleshy allure. It is useful to compare a similarly composed group of equally delectable women in Frederick Lord Leighton's The Garden of the Hesperides (fig. 1) with The Painted Bridge. Here, too, the artist depicts three sensual women gathered around a tree and beside water, both symbols of fertility. Unlike Leighton's painting, Flint's image is one of refracted light, the paint flecked upon the bodies of the young girls, the surface of their drapery and flowing water. Although the subjects are similar and the poses of the figures taken directly from Antiquity, the way in which the artists painted is completely different. The younger Flint was attempting to distance himself from the dark, supersaturated tones of Victorian art and the invisible brushstrokes of the Academic painters. In this painting, the artist revels in the extravagance and tactile quality of visible brushstrokes and bright, clear colors. However, by choosing to paint an image which is based upon a classical composition and redolent of earlier Academic art, it seems that Flint was trying to show that he could paint a subject that Leighton would have chosen, but in a style that was more in keeping with the fashion of the 1920s. In 1923, the most likely date for The Painted Bridge, Flint was working hard to impress the council of the Royal Academy and its President Frank Dicksee, who was famous for his adherence to the traditional principles of art. Flint was seeking approval from the Academy and by painting large and impressive oils like The Painted Bridge. He gained for himself the recognition that he desired. In 1924, he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy. In the early 1920s Flint was enjoying a period of financial success. Because of this, he was at liberty to stretch himself by painting in oils on a large scale. This was a departure for an artist who was widely known for his small scale watercolors and it is remarkable that he proved to be so adept with the medium of oil. His use of vibrant color and ability to capture the effect of light on water, flesh and drapery in The Painted Bridge create an image of shimmering sunlight, sun dappled bodies and glittering water torrents.

William Russell Flint (Scottish, 1880-1969) 'The Dance of a Thousand Flounces' signed 'W Russell Flint' in pencil (lower right), with blind stamp (lower left) limited edition colour print 45 x 60.5cm (17 11/16 x 23 13/16in). together with another, 'Portrait of Cecilia', colour print, plus another, 'The Hedonists', signed 'W Russell Flint' in pencil (lower right), with blind stamp (lower left), limited edition colour print, (3)

Two Framed and glazed William Russell Flint limited edition coloured prints Two Framed and glazed William Russell Flint limited edition coloured prints, each with pencil No. 603/750 and 114/850, each 19" x 26" (48.25cm x 66cm) Some wear and marks to frame, together with a pair of framed prints depicting the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, etc. Please note:Due to the size and vulnerability of the items in our Antiques & Fine Art auctions we are unable to post out these items "in house". We do, however recommend a selection of packaging and shipping companies. For national and international deliveries, we suggest: IJK Couriers07917 500522 Email: info@ijkcouriers. co. uk www. ijkcouriers. co. uk Alban Shipping01582 493 099 Email: info@albanshipping. co. uk www. albanshipping. co. uk