Location: South of France, France
Subject: Streetscape
Medium: Oils
Date: 1920s
Signature: Knighton Hammond
Dimensions: 49.5 cm x 60 cm
In this complex, multi-figural composition in the busy market shows the artist taking advantage of the texture of paint using thick impasto to evoke reflections of shimmering light and intensity of colour. His love of engaging with everyday subjects and collective activity is clear in this composition. One can almost hear the conversations taking place in the hustle and bustle of the market which can be described as a celebration of urban life with the element of spontaneity has been fully integrated into the artistic process. The architecture is very dominant, powerfully emblematic and is bathed in sunlight. The linear perspective and the brilliant rendition of the materials of the façade are supremely executed.
Knighton-Hammond worked predominantly in watercolours during his time working on the continent but this is an example of his undoubted skill in oils and in the understanding of the dynamics of urban life on the Franco Italian riviera in an Impressionist style.