CONVERGENCE PAINTINGS BY JOHN HITCHENS
Felix & Spear, London 2022
CONVERGENCE PAINTINGS BY JOHN HITCHENS
Felix & Spear 71 St Mary’s Road London W5 5RG t: +44 (0) 20 8566 1574 www.felixandspear.com
‘Wind Over Fields’ exhibition, Felix & Spear, December 2020
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Foreword We are delighted to present Convergence, our second exhibition of paintings by John Hitchens. The present selection of works focuses on the first decade of the twenty-first century. Hitchens has been exploring the practice of painting the British landscape since the 1960s, shifting his approach around 1990, when he began to work in the studio rather than from nature. This phase of work has seen him develop a unique method incorporating materials found locally in rural Sussex, and create paintings which represent fundamentally abstract observations of land and nature. Hitchens has devised a truly distinctive visual language which deserves much wider exposure. We hope the selection of paintings in this exhibition will go some way towards achieving this goal. Cameron Amiri Director, Felix & Spear
The studio in West Sussex
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Osmosis An artist’s absorption of land John Hitchens makes us think carefully about our relationship with the land. The intensity with which he has absorbed the rhythms and pitches of the natural world, and the utter completeness with which he has made that relationship his way of living, is extraordinary and beautiful. He has found a whole language of marks and lines, colour and light, to talk about nature through his art – about land, wood, water, weather - but his work also reveals how absorbed an artist can be with his subject, how at one they can become. For artists attuned to landscape and nature, this is a time of accelerated relevance – a new moment of justification. There is fervour in the air, a widening engagement with the natural world that is existential, spirited. Sweeping climate concerns and new interpretations of environmentalism have generated ideas of obligation and commitment as well as enthusiasm and interest. While studies of biochemical communication between trees have brought new audiences to the field of ecology, figures like Edward Burtynsky and Olafur Eliasson have emerged in art, bringing a radicalism to our relationship with the environment. There are fresh and urgent reasons to find deeper ways of understanding the land. The way artists have focused on the natural world could be seen as a chronicle of energetic acts of engagement. Turner tying himself to a ship’s mast to understand storms at sea; Bryan Wynter making an aqualung kit out of RAF oxygen cylinders to experience being under water; Peter Lanyon taking up gliding to discover a world of air currents. These
ways of working are primary experiences, ways of gathering information, of channelling and supercharging artistic practice. And in each case they were paths to great paintings. John Hitchens has had quite a different way of meeting his material. For him the natural world has not been the next chosen project, a best way of making a best picture, but something far more merged and indivisible from the way he conducts his life, from how he sees the world. It has become his language, his oxygen. If this must partly be a result of growing up in the gnarled wilderness of Greenleaves, the secret woody realm famously established by his father Ivon, it must also be down to a lifelong habit of inquisitive observation, what he has himself referred to as ‘the gift of quiet looking’, a level of devotedness and fascination that puts one in mind of a different generation of naturalist observers. Like an ardent botanist, he is in the thrall of natural materials. Visiting Hitchens, the depth of this relationship between artist and subject is writ large. The rooms are brimming with an orchestral outpouring of artistic expression (the experience of it is like a surge of music). Not only, though, with pieces from different phases of his own work, but also with collected objects, nature’s own works – wood, stones – found, selected, arranged, resonant. It is a passion laid bare, and a sight into how closely woven Hitchens has become with his environment. How, for him, it is the ideas
and connections that are supremely enlivening, whether conveyed through his own paintings or through an installation of natural materials.
them out and store them for the time it takes to prime them, a couple of months, or six years, or whenever. I’ve always had a library of unused canvases stretched and ready.’
A further point emerges when looking closely at the works in his studio, seeing the way the paintings have been prepared. Since the 1990s Hitchens has primed his canvases using a mixture of PVA and sawdust gathered from his own sculpture and tree-cutting. Once dry the priming needs to be sanded, as the wood particles can be sharp, and then finished with paint. Nature’s materials become the very fabric of his works of art, investing them with a special integrity. The conceptual rewards are on the road to land art.
Field Interweave and Red Trackway (both 2009) are quintessential freeform canvases from this period, roughly cloud-shaped with sinuous outlines. In both works the horizontal patterns and lines of the fields create vibrant juxtapositions and rhythms. There are suggestions too of something below the surface as well as on it: an imagined geology underlying the agriculture. The works capture aspects of land, and yet excite with their own language – the markmaking, colour and space, the energy of their conception – and so take flight from being art about the particular, becoming instead vigorous suggestive objects, redolent of Hitchens’ passions.
Hitchens has engaged himself in this world so deeply and for so long that he is now in a profoundly informed and conversant position. Not only has the language he has developed, of marks and lines, colour and light, become so rich and sensitive, but he has also gained a freedom to explore the outer reaches of artistic practice, challenging the expectations of what paintings ought to be – even what shape they are – as part of an endeavour to connect outlying ideas together. The works shown here, from the first decade of the century, include some potent examples of the artist’s explorations with canvas shapes. Hitchens has talked about the process of how these come about. ‘The … shape comes always first, the idea for a painting comes later. I would make a series of them and just draw the shapes with charcoal on the plywood, cut
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Four Fields Gathering No. 4 (2008) offers a more radical canvas shape – extraordinary and demonstrative in its invention – and crossing the boundaries between conventional painting and three-dimensional work. Four horseshoe-shaped pieces – the four fields – surround a central shape, patterned with dotted lines. Hitchens began using such dots after looking at aerial views of landscapes and seeing indications of fence posts, post-holes and ancient field lines seen as dots from above: marks on the skin of the earth, the interaction of man and nature. Sometimes it is the materials that startle. Moon Tide (2002) has at its centre a piece of burnt wood, something the artist
had used to start fires with at home. Placed at the heart of a work about tides and the moon, it contributes to a heady harmonic of natural forces and observations – even a latent alchemy – while maintaining the conceptual purity of the found object. One of the qualities of these paintings is that they not only find our own sweet spots, (those of us who delight in the intellectual and emotional satisfactions of nature and the land), but they are consistently surprising, and genuinely radical – presenting us with new sight lines, new injections of enquiry, as well as provocative and stimulating ways of communicating through paint and canvas and other materials. Hitchens is not just an artist who makes us think carefully about our relationship with the land, he also makes us think again about what we expect of art. From a historical perspective, this isn’t out of the blue. John Hitchens is someone who comes from a radical artistic tradition, traceable not just through the progressive individualism of his father Ivon (who left the Hampstead smart set to live and work in the Sussex woods in 1940), but also his grandfather Alfred, who saw success early in his career, and who also had a particular instinct for landscape and weather. One of the artist’s sons, Simon, the sculptor, has taken a challenging and progressive line in his work, and – like his forebears - is finding sources from the natural world. Radicalism, it seems, is baked into the family’s art. Hitchens’ paintings from the first decade of the 2000s do shine a light on many of the ideas and passions ubiquitous
to his work over different periods. However, that decade is a crucial time in the story, and these works have an exceptional role to play. It was at this time that Hitchens made fundamental changes in his practice, beginning to work far more regularly in the studio rather than painting outdoors; also at this time advancing his collecting of natural objects, which became a source of inspiration as well as a remarkable installation. The works of this decade respond to these new contexts, and are permeated with new energies, ideas and influences; there is an underlying quest for creativity, even into materials and structure, that becomes a new standard for the artist’s explorations in the ensuing years. John Hitchens has been steeped in the natural world, in landscape, for years, for decades. And yet these works of art have never been more relevant. We live in a time when the natural world, the environment, is of global concern, of profound and passionate interest, especially to a younger generation. These are not paintings of a safe rural scene – a tree, a pond – they are reflections of an osmosis with the natural world, full of striking ideas about our relationship with the land. An exhilarating engagement for today’s eyes and minds and hearts. Sandy Mallet November 2021
Window-sill in the studio kitchen
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CONVERGENCE E x h i b i t i o n : Fe b r u a r y, M a rc h 2 022
F I E L D I N T E R W E AV E , 2 0 0 9
acrylic on canvas 113 × 206 cm | 44½ × 81 in
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H A R V E S T W E AV E , 2 0 0 9
acrylic on canvas 122 × 84 cm | 48 × 33 in
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THREE BLACK FIELDS, 2000
oil on canvas 24 × 24 cm | 9½ × 9½ in 24 × 24 cm | 9½ × 9½ in 47 × 43 cm | 18½ × 17 in
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CONVERGENCE, 2001
oil on canvas 106 × 193 cm | 41½ × 76 in
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F O U R F I E L D S G AT H E R I N G N o . 4 , 2 0 0 8
acrylic on canvas 84 × 99 cm | 33 × 39 in
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C O LO U R S T R U C T U R E , 2 0 0 9
oil on canvas 91.5 × 122 cm | 36 × 48 in
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T H R E E L AY E R F I E L D W E AV E , 2 0 0 6
acrylic on layered canvas 51 × 51 cm | 20 × 20 in
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FIELD CHORDS MEETING, 1999
oil on canvas 117 × 178 cm | 46 × 70 in
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T H R E E F I E L D TO W E R , 2 0 0 5
acrylic on canvas 163 × 82 cm | 65 × 32 in
Previous spread Rhododendron woods near the artist’s studio 28
WAV E C O N C LU S I O N , 2 0 0 9
acrylic on canvas 58 × 104 cm | 23½ × 41 in
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F I E L D L I N E G R I D N o .1 , 2 0 0 7
acrylic on plywood 46 × 36 cm | 18 × 14¼ in
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R E D T R A C K WAY , 2 0 0 9
acrylic on canvas 95 × 128 cm | 34½ × 51 in
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C LO U D S A N D F I E L D S , 2 0 2 0
acrylic, pen and ink on card 81 × 122 cm | 32 × 44 in
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Overview of the studio’s Middle Room
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R E L AT E D W O R K S 2 0 0 1 -201 7
L AY E R S E N F O L D E D , 2 0 1 2
acrylic on canvas 84 × 66 cm | 33 × 26 in
MOON TIDE, 2002
oil on canvas and burnt wood 86 × 108 cm | 34 × 43 in
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FIELD FOLD, 2016
acrylic on canvas 46 × 46 cm | 18 × 18 in (each panel)
WIND OVER FIELDS, 2017
acrylic on canvas 61 × 213.5 cm | 24 × 84 in
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FIELD LINES, 2007
oil on canvas 99.5 × 118 cm | 39¼ × 46¼ in 44
E M M A’ S F I E L D , 2 0 1 5
oil on canvas 130 × 230.5 cm | 40½ × 90½ in
HARBOUR, 2015
acrylic on dished fibre form 130 × 150 cm | 51 × 59 in
(Reverse of the above) A N OT H E R J O U R N E Y , 2 0 1 5
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LAND QUEST, 2017
acrylic on canvas 127 × 127 cm | 50 × 50 in
T E S S E L AT E D F I E L D S , 2 0 0 6
acrylic on canvas 76 × 89 cm | 30 × 35 in 48
BURNT FIELD AND STUBBLE LINES, 2017
acrylic on fibre dish 61 × 79 cm | 24 × 31 in
S TO N E F I E L D , 2 0 0 1
acrylic on fibre dish 89 × 105 cm | 35 × 41½ in
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above C O M PA C T F O R M N o .1 , 2 0 1 4
acrylic on canvas 46 × 46 cm | 18 × 18 in left ASCENDING FIELDS, 2010
acrylic on canvas 157 × 51 cm | 61½ × 20 in
Previous spread Studio view with found and made objects 52
T H R E E F I E L D W E AV E , 2 0 1 4
acrylic on canvas 102 × 158 cm | 40 × 62 in
C LU S T E R E D E L E M E N T S , 2 0 0 4
acrylic on canvas 112 × 135 cm | 44 × 53 in
LAND SIGNS, 2003
acrylic on canvas 68.5 × 91.5 cm | 27 × 30 in
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F LO AT E D F O R M S , 2 0 0 2
acrylic on canvas 123 × 112 cm | 48 × 44 in
LINKED FIELD FORMS, 2002
oil on canvas 188 × 191 cm | 74 × 75¼ in
CONNECTING FIELD FORMS, 2002
oil on canvas 162 × 324 cm | 63¾ × 127½ in
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F I E L D I N T E R P L AY , 2 0 0 6
acrylic on layered canvas 76 × 89 cm | 30 × 35 in
FOUR FIELDS G AT H E R I N G N o . 3 , 2 0 0 6
acrylic on canvas 99 × 122 cm | 39 × 48 in
FOUR FIELDS G AT H E R I N G N o . 2 , 2 0 0 6
acrylic on canvas 99 × 122 cm | 39 × 48 in
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L AY E R E D L A N D , 2 0 0 2
oil on canvas 232 × 164 cm | 91½ × 64½ in (each panel)
Contents Page
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EXHIBITION
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FIELD INTERWEAVE, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 113 × 206 cm | 44½ × 81 in
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HARVEST WEAVE, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 122 × 84 cm | 48 × 33 in
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THREE BLACK FIELDS, 2000, oil on canvas, 24 × 24 cm | 9½ × 9 ½ in, 24 x 24 cm | 9½ × 9 ½ in, 47 × 43 cm | 18½ × 17 in
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CONVERGENCE, 2001, oil on canvas, 106 x 193 cm | 41½ × 76 in
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FOUR FIELDS GATHERING No.4, 2008, oil on canvas, 84 × 99 cm | 33 × 39 in
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COLOUR STRUCTURE, 2009, oil on canvas, 91.5 × 122 cm | 36 × 48 in
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THREE LAYER FIELD WEAVE, 2006, acrylic on layered canvas, 51 × 51 cm | 20 × 20 in
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FIELD CHORDS MEETING, 1999, acrylic on canvas, 117 × 178 cm | 46 × 70 in
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THREE FIELD TOWER, 2005, acrylic on canvas, 163 × 82 cm | 65 × 32 in
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WAVE CONCLUSION, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 58 × 104 cm | 23½ × 41 in
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FIELD LINE GRID No.1, 2007, acrylic on plywood, 46 × 36 cm | 18 × 14¼ in
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RED TRACKWAY, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 95 × 128 cm | 34½ × 51 in
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CLOUDS AND FIELDS, 2020, acrylic, pen and ink on card, 81 × 122 cm | 32 × 44 in
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RELATED WORKS LAYERS ENFOLDED, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 84 × 66 cm | 33 × 26 in MOON TIDE, 2002, oil on canvas and burnt wood, 86 × 108 cm | 34 × 43 in
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FIELD FOLD, 2016, oil on canvas, 46 × 46 cm | 18 × 18 in (each panel)
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WIND OVER FIELDS, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 61 × 213.5 cm | 24 × 84 in
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FIELD LINES, 2007, 99.5 × 118 cm | 39¼ × 46¼ in
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EMMA’S FIELD, 2015, oil on canvas, 130 × 230.5 cm | 40½ × 90½ in
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HARBOUR & ANOTHER JOURNEY, 2015, acrylic on dished fibre form, 130 × 150 cm | 51 × 59 in
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LAND QUEST, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 127 × 127 cm | 50 × 50 in
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TESSELATED FIELDS, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 76 × 89 cm | 30 × 35 in
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BURNT FIELD AND STUBBLE LINES, 2002, acrylic on fibre dish, 61 × 79 cm | 24 × 31 in
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STONE FIELD, 2001, acrylic on fibre dish, 89 × 105 cm | 35 × 41½ in ASCENDING FIELDS, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 157 × 51 cm | 61½ × 20 in COMPACT FORM No. 1, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 46 × 46 cm | 18 × 18 in
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T H R E E F I E L D W E AV E , 2014, oil on canvas, 102 × 158 cm | 40 × 62 in
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C LU S T E R E D E L E M E N T S , 2004, 112 × 135 cm | 44 × 53 in
LAND SIGNS, 2003, acrylic on canvas, 68.5 × 91.5 cm | 27 × 30 in
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FLOATED FORMS, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 123 × 112 cm | 48 × 44 in
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LINKED FIELD FORMS, 2002, oil on canvas, 188 × 191 cm | 74 × 75¼ in
CONNECTING FIELD FORMS, 2002, oil on canvas, 162 × 324 cm | 63¾ × 127½ in
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FIELD INTERPLAY, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 76 × 89 cm | 30 × 35 in
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FOUR FIELDS GATHERING No.3, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 99 × 122 cm | 39 × 48 in
FOUR FIELDS GATHERING No.2, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 99 × 122 cm | 39 × 48 in
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LAYERED LAND, 2002, oil on canvas, 464 × 328 cm | 183 × 129 in (in two panels)
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John Hitchens Born 1940 in Sussex, England Lives and works near Petworth, Sussex John Hitchens was born the son and grandson of painters, Ivon Hitchens and Alfred Hitchens respectively. He studied Fine Art at Bath Academy of Art in Corsham from 1958 until 1961 and gained early recognition for his work through solo exhibitions in London, notably at the Marjorie Parr Gallery, 1964–76, and Montpelier Studio, 1982–88. Having grown up and lived for many years in the Sussex countryside, Hitchens draws deeply upon the landscapes, materials, and objects found on the South Downs and Sussex coast. Over the course of more than fifty years, his approach to the subject has evolved. As he recalls, ‘the early paintings were an intuitive response to the landscape that I saw before me. During the past thirty years, this has led me to use a wider visual vocabulary to explore the creative possibilities offered by the subject.’ A major retrospective of John Hitchens’ work was shown at the Southampton City Art Gallery in 2020, and one of his recent paintings, ‘Land Quest’, was acquired for the gallery’s permanent collection. His pictures are held in private and public collections such as the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne; British Steel Corporation, London; Imperial Health Charity Art Collection; and the University of Oxford. Further work in other collections is displayed online by ART UK. The monograph John Hitchens: Aspects of Landscape was published by Sansom in 2020.
Catalogue: © Felix & Spear Pa i n t i n g s : © J o h n H i t c h e n s P u b l i s h e d b y F e l i x & S p e a r, 2 0 2 2 I S B N : 9 7 8 -1 -7 3 9 7 5 2 8 - 0 - 4 Foreword: © Cameron Amiri Essay: © Sandy Mallet Photography: Anne-Katrin Purkiss and Glynn Clarkson Production: Anne-Katrin Purkiss Design: Graham Rees Design Print: Gomer Press Ty p e f a c e : A t t e n N e w Printed on 225gsm Claro Silk Edition: 300
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