Artwork Of The Month Talk - Grey Schooner (n.d.) By Alfred Wallis

Learn more about a work from the collection in these free monthly talks. No need to book, just meet at reception.

Born in Plymouth in 1855, Alfred Wallis worked as a cabin-boy at the age of nine on a deep-sea fishing boat and later as a seaman on schooners, like the one in this work. Having moved to St Ives, he began to paint in 1925 to ease the loneliness he felt following the death of his wife and was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in 1928 - the unselfconscious vigour of his work making a powerful impression on them. Drawing upon his early experience Grey Schooner is set upon an ominous looking grey sea and painted with thick, expressive brush marks. Join Gallery Guide Jock Johnston for a free talk about the artwork at 11.30am in Room 11.