South Downs

Recently proclaimed as a national park, this view of the Downs is rooted in the nascent beauty of an agricultural harvest.  Posited in late summer (early evening), the scene is dry and dusty; you can hear faint noises breaking the tranquillity, perhaps the hum of a combine harvester in the near distance. The grooved tramlines appeal to a sense of order, and provide a geometry to the work, as the whole scene is bathed in a wonderful golden light.

Forster reflects that, ‘the South Downs is a varied and, in certain places, wild landscape but in this painting I was obviously heavily focused on the taming of the land. There can be no doubt that Southern England, due to its general topography and climate, is the more heavily populated and therefore has a greater emphasis on urban life. I wanted to reflect a landscape where the influence of man and agriculture is united in celebration.  Of course it would be sanguine if the whole country where rendered as such, but there is an uncanny beauty in the sculpted field of a summer harvest. The order and symmetry the tractor and combine have brought this structure to the land, it is a portrayal of an achievement; a process a cycle. For me, this is an August evening in the height of summer. Even the cloud formation has a suggestion of the sickle.’

Since 2009, the South Downs is now recognised as a national park.  The area forms a larger collection of Downs, culminating in its most easterly point at Beachy Head.  The South Downs have been a popular enclave for writers and artists, including such luminary figures as Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Tennyson, Vanessa Bell, and Eric Ravilious; the latter creating many memorable scenes of his immediate landscape.  Pallant House in Chichester, houses one of the finest collections of British Modern Art in the country, including notable works by Lucien Freud, Ben Nicholson and R.B. Kitaj.  The popular tourist destination of Brighton is an obvious draw for visitors to the South Downs, the stunning Oriental; a boutique hotel in the centre of town that also makes a feature of art.   Further away from town, the East Sussex Golf resort is a great location to unite golf, accommodation and art.