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Snowden from Llanfrothen
SPENCER, Sir Stanley (1891 - 1959)
Date: 1938
Media: oil on canvas
Size: 50.9 x 76.2 cm
Acquired: 1938; Purchase
Accession Number: NMW A 2166
Spencer resigned from the RoyalAcademy in 1935 after two of his works were rejected and in 1938 he was in dire financial straits. This view was painted at Llanfrothen, near Harlech, in September and early October of that year when he was staying with his first wife Hilda near Snowdon. This work shows the contrasting colours and different textures that make up the north Wales landscape. Snowdon is the most famous view in Wales, yet here it is compressed into a corner, partially hidden by cloud. Instead the fields, walls and trees in the foreground are the focus of the picture, painted with intense realism. Spencer painted numerous landscapes in the 1930s, as these sold well.
Work not on display
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