South Coast

Forster’s work on the South Coast is suggestive of a time of day closer to sunrise.  The rose hues in the palette bathe the cliff formations in pink, as the stark white sails of a spinnaker imply a more human intervention in the scene.   The viewpoint of the work follows a small stream as it enters the vastness of the sea.  As with much of Forster’s work though, the scene is cautionary; despite its apparent calmness, danger seems to lurk on the violent current and jagged rocks.  The work is suggesting to the viewer that the vastness of the sea can at any time intervene in human safety.  The palette, in this work, is beautifully balanced.  From the combination of sage green and azure hues in the sea, to the warmer tones of pink and ochre in the surrounding cliffs, the whole scene is finely balanced.

Forster’s intention all along was ‘to make this painting bright and busy in comparison with the other paintings that have a pervading sense of calm. I wanted the yellow to be loud to almost shout at the viewer and force us in to contemplating this scene.  Again, there is a portrayal of the dynamic erosion of the sea; a physical process that has sculpted these peculiar looking cliffs; a sense of what has come before and what will happen in the future.

There is no doubt that through all these paintings we must acknowledge the weather, atmospherics, how can we have a landscape that does not acknowledge this vital ingredient.’

‘The spinnaker sail and the lighthouse bring to the fore the nautical nature of the channel.  As historians, we can recall a day where the great fleets of the British Navy sailed for more serious reasons along this coast; it now gives way to a place of leisure.’

Uber South Coast is devilishly non-specific, perhaps purposeful on the artist’s part.  It defines some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in the British Isles.  Popular destinations along the south coast include the 1000 year old Corfe castle; the picturesque Lulworth Cove; and more contemporary phenomena such as Sandbanks development, near Poole harbour.  On a more literary note, it perhaps evokes the wonderful literary landscapes portrayed in Thomas Hardy’s distinguished work.  Nowadays one can visit his birthplace situated near the town of Dorchester. One of Devon’s more famous sons is the society portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds.  Reynolds co-founded and then presided over the Royal Academy of Art, was born in Plymton near Plymouth.