Pauline Plummer (b.1933) - Mid 20th Century Oil Cornish Harbour at Low Tide

Description

This evocative coastal painting captures a gently curving harbour scene, likely inspired by the rugged coastal charm of Cornwall. Viewed from an elevated vantage point, the composition draws the eye from a dark foreground railing down into a calm water basin where small boats lie moored in quiet repose. The surrounding architecture and distant hills add a soft depth, anchoring the scene in a distinct sense of place. There is a deliberate naivety in the rendering, reminiscent of the Cornish School or St Ives artists, where intuitive perspective and simplified forms lend the painting a disarming charm. Subtle graphite lines peek through the surface, suggesting an underlying structure and a sensitive, considered hand at work. The artist’s use of colour is particularly striking: warm terracotta, rust, and earthy reds are set in bold contrast against a cool, sage-green sea and the subdued tones of the overcast sky. This restrained yet expressive palette, along with the gently textured surface, imbues the work with a quiet energy, simultaneously nostalgic and contemporary, grounded yet dreamlike. Study of a woman to the reverse. Unsigned. On canvas on stretchers.

Condition

Marks, scuffs and flakes of paint loss to the edges of the canvas from a previous frame or mount. Small pinholes to the edges. Canvas dent and small hole to the lower left corner. Inspection under UV light reveals no restoration.

Size

50 x 64cm (19.7" x 25.2")

Collection Information

Pauline Plummer says of her work, "My style is traditional. I enjoy the challenge of constructing a balanced composition from figures, still life or landscape. However, it is landscape which is my principal theme, usually including some structural feature such as a grand building like a church or mansion, or just a disintegrating hut, a bridge, a beached boat, or a wavering line of fence. I am fascinated by the changing colours and patterns of the agricultural scene, the brilliance of oilseed rape, or the dark shadows of potato furrows. There are also, on a small scale, even in Norfolk, all those areas which have been so carefully controlled, where the weeds grow high, and one can imagine oneself lost among them."

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Artist Biography

Born May 1933, the only daughter of two very artistic parents, Pauline studied Fine Art at the University of Reading 1951-1955, graduating with a BA Hons. After graduating she was awarded a three-year studentship by the Council for the Care of Churches to study conservation of paintings. For two years Pauline attended the Courtauld Institute of Art Technology Department, headed by Professor Stephen Rees Jones. From 1960 Pauline worked freelance. In her long career she has worked extensively all over the country on many notable conservation projects in a wide variety of locations from stately homes, colleges, churches and cathedrals, including projects for the National Trust and English Heritage. During her working life Pauline enjoyed her own art as a hobby. She benefitted from courses by distinguished teachers, for example Robin Child and Roy Freer. It was on her retirement from conservation that she immersed herself in her passion for painting and went on to develop an extensive collection of artistic work.