Ivon Hitchens

by Peter Khoroche

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.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Kevin Tole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat forgotten (now) British landscape abstract painter whose work needs to be rediscovered not the least because it would represent a return to painterly values and the importance of plastic phenomena in the production of art - and by that I mean Mondrian's concept of plastic - form, colour, composition - and a move away from the conceptual which has dominated British art since the ninties.
Hitchens work is a joy to behold - the way he started from plein air and then took the picture purely into the realms of the abstract without diminishing the importance of 'landscape'.
This book is THE masterwork on Hitchens oeuvre. It is thickly and excellently illustrated as one would expect and the text enhances the picture giving the context of the works. The nudes and the flower paintings were a revelation to me and stand almost as well as the landscapes. The book certainly made me want to go and find examples of Hitchens work and greatly enhanced my own appreciation of landscape and abstract picture form.