ithell colquhoun magician born of nature
All texts copyright Richard Shillitoe

an eclipse

1944

Oil on panel. 26 x 15in. (66.7 x 38.4cm.) Provenance NT. Exhibited London, Royal Academy, 1945, no. 77. London, Hampstead Artists’ Council, 1946, no. 101. London, Mayor Gallery, 1947, (paintings), no. 4. Cambridge, Heffer Gallery, 1953, no. 5. Penzance, Newlyn Gallery, 1961, no. 16. The heavens at a moment of transition. The transparent glaze suggests the lifting of the darkness and the return of illumination. For the alchemists, an eclipse is the visual fusion of the sun and moon, the alchemical king and queen. The painting makes extensive use of decalcomania. The counterpart and a small watercolour study are with the NT.