Friday, January 27, 2012

Henry Herbert La Thangue - Calling to the Valley




Price Realized
£61,250
($94,631)

signed 'H. H. LaThangue' (lower left) and signed and inscribed 'Calling to the Valley H. H. La Thangue' (on the stretcher)
oil on canvas
30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm.)

In his youth Henry Herbert La Thangue had visited the Rhône valley to paint the peasants of the Dauphiné and the memory of this experience remained vivid as the restless painter became increasingly disenchanted with the changes affecting rural England at the turn of the twentieth- century. He bemoaned the damage that the modern world was inflicting upon such communities and like D.H. Lawrence, he had rejected the England of industrial grime and rampant commercialism. In the winter of 1901 he set off for the South of France and each year thereafter, Provence, Liguria and Southern Spain became destinations of choice. He avoided the fashionable coastal watering holes of the Riviera favoured by English expatriates, preferring instead the mountain paths and hill villages beyond the reach of Baedeker, such as St Jeannet and La Roquette. These 'castelli' frequently feature in his work but are never identified; they were regarded by travellers as 'more picturesque at a distance'. (Augustus J.C. Hare, The Rivieras, 1897, George Allen, p. 69.) Where other artists might broadcast their discoveries, this painter wished to guard his secrets and one such is the location of Calling to the Valley. Here, a young woman on a high mountain plateau has tethered her donkey and is calling down to unseen peasants in the valley. In the distance are the glistening snow-covered peaks of the Alpes Maritimes. The clean, pure air in such a place may well throw back an echo of her call.

Suggesting the sounds one might hear at such a place was a ploy frequently adopted by painters of La Thangue's generation. Fragments of conversation or characteristic calls became picture titles. Themes such as 'the song of the lark' accentuated the crystalline stillness of the countryside at dawn or dusk. In the mountains near his winter studio at Bormes-les-Mimosas, such piercing cries were not unusual, especially during the olive harvests when donkeys carrying sackcloth panniers would be led up into the hills to bring back the fruit to village presses, their well-worn tracks etched into the hillsides. The pack animal was a familiar sight on these roads and no one painted it with more sympathy. In Ligurian Olives and The Threshing Floor for instance, La Thangue's familiar peasant woman wearing a red headscarf loads her donkey in preparation for the trek while in The First of Spring, the painter comes upon a harvesters' campfire high in the hills. It was a scene relished by Lawrence in the last Winter before the outbreak of the Great War.

'....you have no idea how beautiful olives are, so grey, so delicately sad now the hills are full of voices, the peasant women and children all day long and day after day, in the faint shadow of olives, picking the fallen fruit off the ground, pannier after pannier full".
A. Huxley introd., DH Lawrence, Selected Letters, London, 1950 (Penguin Books, 1954 reprint), p. 65 (letter to W.E. Hopkin, 18 December 1913).

Calling to the Valley thus portrays a typical moment. The low rampart and cross suggests that it was painted on the edge of a village, convent or monastic settlement, affording splendid views of distant peaks and deep ravines. These are appropriately framed by an everyday event, a wave of the hand, a call, a greeting.

KMc.

16 comments:

unknow said...

Calling to the Valley such a different and look like a real picture. I really appreciate your work and this type of post make a reason of success. Best wishes.

flat for sale in byculla

apartments in byculla

Anonymous said...

This Valley Picture Looks Like real. I Read Your Calling to the Valley Blog Its Stuff was very good. Can you tell me more about valley? Click here Air Duct Cleaning Services in Oakland Ca

Anonymous said...

Excellently written article, doubts all bloggers offered the same content because you, the internet is a greater place. Please keep it up! it's time to avail this Commercial Roofers in Portland Click Here for more details.

Anonymous said...

This Picture is looking beatiful. i really like this picture. can you share more picture? it's time to avail this Home Insulation services in Daly City Visit Here for more details.

Anonymous said...

Your blog provided us with valuable information to work with. Each & every tips of your post are awesome. Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep blogging. Are you looking for Bathroom Remodeling Services In Houston TX Visit Here for more details.

Anonymous said...

This is really a nice and informative, containing all information and also has a great impact on the new technology. Thanks for sharing it it's time to avail this Real estate Inspection Services visit here for more details.

Anonymous said...

Great content material and great layout. Your website deserves all of the positive feedback it’s been getting. it's time to avail this Construction Debris Removal Services In Santa Rosa CA visit here for more info.

Anonymous said...

It is somewhat fantastic, and yet check out the advice at this treat. keep up and thanks for this. it's time to avail this Roofer Service in Aurora CO visit here for more details.

Anonymous said...

you have done great job. i really like your article that was soo amazing and have goood stuff. keep up and thanks for this. it's time to avail this Junk Removal Services Santa Rosa visit here for more details.

Anonymous said...

Excellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. this time to take advantage of gutter covers in North Liberty visit for more details.

Anonymous said...

great work man, I would like to congratulate you on this efforts keep rocking, this time to take advantage of Best Garage Door Spring Repair Services in Chicago visit for more details.

Anonymous said...

nice post thanks keep sharing, this time to take advantage of roofers in Waterbury CT visit for more details.

Anonymous said...

nice post thanks must visit can dogs eat brown bread

Anonymous said...

You have a good point here!I totally agree with what you have said!!Thanks for sharing your views...hope more people will read this article!!! this time to avail this Air Conditioner installation Services Fort Worth TX visit for more details.

Anonymous said...

Great post! you share the informative posts. I really like your post. Its time to take advantages from Local Business Listing Agency for best quality services.

Anonymous said...

I’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article. thanks this time to get this opportunity for more details.