The Haymaker: A Study in Shadows

Artist George Clausen (1852 - 1944)

Date1904

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsFramed: 91.5 x 81.5 x 11 cm
61 x 48.2 cm

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by George Clausen (the Artist), 1904.

Object number267

DescriptionThe son of a Danish interior decorator and a mother of Scottish descent, Clausen initially studied at the South Kensington School of Design and for a short period of time attended the Académie Julian in Paris. He admired the French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848-1884), a master of plein-air painting who exerted a strong influence on many Irish and English artists. Clausen painted several scenes of farm workers and explored the theme of light and shade, in internal and external settings, on a number of occasions.

Here he creates a strong sense of intimacy by placing the young farm worker very close to the picture plane. Crowned by rich foliage painted in thick impasto, she seems to be taking shelter from a hot sun portrayed by a vivid and loosely painted yellow background. There are no other indications of her world beyond this and her reverie adds to the painting's atmosphere of tranquillity and repose. The rendering of the fine facial features of the sitter reveals Clausen's skilled draughtsmanship. His painterly skills are indicated in the depiction of her ruddy cheeks. A founder member of the New English Art Club and Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy, Clausen was also appointed an official war artist in 1917.

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