Quiet Afternoon

A charming and expressive mid-century figurative landscape depicting a young woman seated outdoors against an expansive landscape executed in oil onto canvas.

Positioned slightly off-centre, the figure sits casually on a folding chair, her relaxed pose and bare feet lending the scene an intimate, unguarded quality. Behind her, dark rolling hills and a steep rocky formation rise towards a pale open sky, creating a wonderful sense of solitude and quiet contemplation.

The painting is rendered in a loose, expressive mid-century style, balancing figurative representation with areas that verge on abstraction. The artist simplifies both the sitter and surrounding landscape into broad shapes and gestural passages of colour, with facial details deliberately understated. This gives the work an immediacy reminiscent of a painted study captured directly from life.

The palette is beautifully muted and earthy, dominated by olive, sage and moss greens, softened browns, blue-greys and deep teal, contrasted by the sitter’s crisp white top and warm sunlit flesh tones. Small flashes of mustard yellow and coral-red in the folding chair provide lively accents against the subdued landscape, while the pale blue-grey sky brings light and openness to the composition.

Brushwork remains distinctly visible throughout. Broad, directional strokes build the hills and foreground, while shorter, layered marks introduce texture and movement across the terrain. The figure is handled with softer, fluid strokes, allowing forms to remain slightly unresolved. This combination of confident mark-making and restrained detail gives the painting its appealingly spontaneous character.

This oil on canvas is presented in a complementary slim wood frame.  The painting is in excellent vintage condition, and the frame has some scuffs.  

Size: 49 x 64 cm (including frame)