Winifred Nicholson

Jake and Kate on the Isle of Wight

About this artwork

After her separation from her artist husband Ben Nicholson, Winifred Nicholson rented a house on the Isle of Wight in the winter of 1931 to 1932. This painting shows two of her three children, Jake and Kate, in the conservatory of the house. The ship seen in the distance was until recently thought to be the luxury French liner, the Normandie. However, that vessel was only launched in 1935 and it may instead be either a German ship or an invented element. The delicate, fresh colours and appealing naïvety are typical of Winifred Nicholson's work.This painting offers an interesting contrast with William Orpen’s A Bloomsbury Family, which shows the previous generation of Nicholson children.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Winifred Nicholson (1893 - 1981) English
  • title:
    Jake and Kate on the Isle of Wight
  • date created:
    1931
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    68.50 x 89.00 cm; Framed: 87.60 x 108.30 x 9.90 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh. Presented by the Trustees of Winifred Nicholson's estate in accordance with her wishes 1985
  • accession number:
    GMA 2964
  • gallery:
  • depicted:
  • subject:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Winifred Nicholson

Winifred Nicholson