Pallant house in Chichester is described as having the finest permanent collection of art outside Tate in London. it was expensive to get in but it certainly didn’t disappoint. The figurative talent of Philpot was astounding and backs up the fact that he was a much sought-after painter in the early 20th century, embracing modernism along the way. His minimalist charcoal pictures were lovely and I enjoyed how he was clearly more interested in shadow than detail but just got across the absolute character of his subjects. In fact his skill with light and shadow made his paintings almost come to life with the subjects popping out of the canvas towards you. I do love paint and I’m very envious of the skill that some artisans can use to weave this magic.
Selected works from the permanent collection are below and there was quite an extensive set. I always enjoy walking around a new permanent collection and trying to identify the artists. so many times I’m racking my brain for nine and have to be told the first letters of their name to give me a clue. The Paul Nash was a gentle piece of work for that artist, a simple landscape with a piece of urbanisation juxtaposed in front of it that was quite pleasant to the eye. But the Michael Andrews painting of the Estuary was a hugely powerful piece of work that used mixed media to present us with a gritty and dirty scene of the Thames. this piece was made more powerful by the confusing use of perspective with small characters dotted around the scene in places where you wouldn’t expect them. It took quite a time to take it all in. All in all the Pallant was well worth the money.
