Ivon Hitchens

Book excerpt: Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979) is widely regarded as the outstanding English landscape painter of the twentieth century. Immediately recognisable by its daring yet subtle use of colour and brushmark to evoke the spirit of place, his work is to be found in public and private collections throughout the world. In this, the definitive study of Hitchens' life and work now issued in a new, revised edition, Peter Khoroche draws on the painter's published writings, correspondence and conversation to create a critical reappraisal of Hitchens' theory and practice. He surveys the entire oeuvre (still-lifes, flower pieces, nudes, interiors and large-scale murals besides the landscapes), a huge legacy of work spanning sixty years, and charts the journey from conventional beginnings to 'figurative abstraction'. A new selection of over 100 colour images provide a retrospective exhibition covering Hitchens' whole career. These illustrations, examples of his best and most characteristic painting in all genres, demonstrate the artist's outstanding talents and reinforce his standing as a key figure in the history of British art.