Study for Sellia, 2015

Study for Sellia, 2015
Hugo Grenville

Grenville is one of Britain's leading colourist painters. Referring to himself as a romantic, Grenville acknowledges a fascination with pattern and colour that places him in the tradition of Henri Matisse. The figures and the everyday objects that surround them in his paintings express his joy in life, light, and colour.

“My paintings are an unashamed and joyous celebration of life, a passionate defence of beauty and domestic harmony, steeped in the English Romantic tradition" - Grenville

Less evident, but equally important, is a feeling of intimacy that recalls Matisse contemporaries, Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard. It is here that we see Grenville being influenced by the principles of Les Nabis – a group of young post-impressionists, avant-garde Parisian artists of the 1890s who influenced the fine arts at the turn of the century. One of the Les Nabis’ goals was to integrate daily life into their paintings and cover a flat surface with colors assembled in a certain order, as we see Grenville doing with such grace and sensitivity. Layers of feeling peel back to disclose a spiritual intensity. 

Study for Sellia is a limited edition print, only 100 runs available. 
© Hugo Grenville / Bridgeman Images

Printed on Giclée Hahnemühle Photorag