Ben Nicholson OM English, 1894-1982

This scarce, fine etching depicts the view from Ben Nicholson's St Ives home, Trezion, which he moved into in 1951. Situated at the top of a steep alley called Salubrious Place, the vantage point provided Nicholson with a panoramic view over St Ives, the Cornish town which he had been painting since as early as the 1920s. But this new perspective of St Ives, depicting the higgledy-piggledy arrangement of rooftops, lent Nicholson a fresh and fun vehicle to work with. With his strong sense of line and perfectly delineated shapes, Nicholson has created an image grounded in geometry, like a number of his masterpieces from the 1950s and '60s.
There is almost a relief format to the work, effectively pushing the rooftops out of the picture plane towards the viewer and creating a strong sense of depth and perspective. In one sense representational, the recognisable forms have been simplified to their most basic outlines creating a pure image of semi-abstraction.
An example of this rare portfolio edition of 50 is held in the collections of the Tate Britain Gallery, London, and the British Council Collection.