The River Tang

Philip Connard 1875 - 1958

Summary

Gentle English countryside depicting a family relaxing on the banks of the River Tang. A mother reclines on a blanket, lying on her front and looking towards the viewer; she holds a parasol, shading her daughter. The young girl sits in a petticoat beside her mother with only her back visible. To the right of the mother, a second child stands in her under garments, hands on hips and looking towards the viewer. In the background, the river flows to the left with grazing cattle reflected in the still water. A farm building is visible behind the standing child, and in the distance, dense green trees line the horizon; standing beneath a blue cloudy sky.

Display Label

The River Tang probably 1913 Philip Connard 1875-1958 Oil on canvas The figures depicted are the artist’s family – his wife is lying on the grass, his older daughter Helen is standing, and younger daughter Jane sits with her back to us. They are on holiday near the river Tang in Suffolk. Jane Connard wrote, on seeing a reproduction of the work in 1973, ‘How perfectly it brings it back to me, not the annoyances of sitting, but the delicious smell of mint at the edge of the river, and the bathes in that clear water which were the reward at the end of the sittings!’ Connard’s happy family holiday is captured in sharp, fresh paint, far from the golden and hazy light usually associated with nostalgia. Connard came from Southport, although as an adult he seldom revisited Lancashire, preferring the scenery near London and in East Anglia. Purchased 1914.62