Lot 35: Joseph Milner Kite (1862-1945) The Pier,

Joseph Milner Kite (1862-1945) The Pier, Concarneau Oil on canvas, 38 x 45.5cm (15 x 18'') Signed Exhibited: Spring Exhibition, The Frederick Gallery, April 2002 Cat. No. 2; ''Peintres Anglais en Bretagne'' Exhibition, Musée de Pont-Aven, June - September 2004 No.34 It was the desire to capture the essence of French rural and Peasant life and the character of the French country folk that drew Joseph Milner Kite and his lifelong Roderic O'Conor to Brittany and the fishing and farming communities of the south Breton coast in particular from the late 1880's onwards. Working under the strong influence of J F Millais and Bastien Lepage this artists colony sought to explore the Realist tradition of their mentors and to explore the new ground of Gauguin and Bernard in their handling of paint. O'Conor, with his strong Divisionist style, while in contrast with Kites Fluid brushstrokes shared a common theme in praise of the working peasant. This influence is clearly visible in a work by William John Leech entitled ''The Pier, Concarneau'', painted c. 1908-09 (Sotheby's London, The Irish sale, 1993 lot 331). The subject matter, handling and colouration all bear marked similarities to the Kite shown here. In both the Leech and our picture there is a leisurely feel of a relaxed moment in this normally busy tuna and sardine fishing port. Figures, young and old casually dressed and in relaxed poses populating a pier normally bustling with fishermen would seem to indicate that the working day has finished with the artists in both composition concentrating as much on Concarneau's women and children as on it's fishermen.