DANNATT, George (1915 – 2009) Nocturne in Black, 1995

Description

George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and sculptor ended with the artist’s death in 2009 at the age of 94.  He was a respected member of a group of artists impressed by the qualities of the English countryside and coastline, including Terry Frost, John Wells, Bryan Winter and Dennis Mitchell, all of whom were alive to the unique visual appeal of the south and west of England.  Working from his studio in Wiltshire and travelling frequently among the villages, hills and coastline of the region, Dannatt would take home pencil sketches of field systems, cliffs and beaches, with notes on colours to be used and shapes to be investigated.  His life-long interest in the geometry of nature, together with his virtuosity with colour, texture, tone and balance, are the hallmarks of his style.  Viewers will notice the very precise geometry in this work which is composed of strong horizontal, vertical and curvilinear elements which interconnect.