Artwork
The Wanderer I
The Wanderer I is a watercolor work on paper by the Art Brut artist Graham Vivian Sutherland. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
A dark, curvy path cuts through bright yellow and orange fields under a sky split between blue and yellow.
This painting shows a simple landscape with bold, uneven shapes. A dark, curvy path cuts through bright yellow and orange fields under a sky split between blue and yellow. Black clumps of trees sit in the distance, and a small house peeks out near the center. The colors are flat, with no shading, just sharp edges.
The artist signed it in the corner with the year 1940. The style feels loose, almost like scribbles, but the colors pop against the white border.
Check out Sutherland, Graham Vivian for more of his bold, simplified landscapes.
Overview
The Wanderer I is a 1940 watercolour by Graham Vivian Sutherland, created as a preparatory design for a ballet.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a simple landscape with a dark path cutting through bright fields under a divided sky, featuring a small house and distant trees.
Technique & Style
Sutherland employed a semi-transparent wash technique, using bold, sharp hues with flat, unshaded colours and sharp edges, characteristic of his early work.
History & Provenance
The watercolour was signed and dated 1940 by the artist, and served as a design for Frederick Ashton's ballet The Wanderer.
Artist & collection
Artist
Graham Vivian Sutherland was a prolific English artist. Notable for his paintings of abstract landscapes and for his portraits of public figures, Sutherland also worked in other media, including printmaking, tapestry and glass design.
