Woodland Landscape

Hitchens was an active figure within the London art scene during the 1920s and '30s as a member of the London Group and a co-founder of the 7 & 5 Society in 1919. This latter organisation attracted many significant artists including Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Roland Penrose (1900-1984). As the group's attentions steadily turned towards pure abstraction however, Hitchens' work, by contrast, returned to the subject of landscapes. After the bombing of his studio in 1940 Hitchens moved to Sussex where he eventually bought a tract of woodland and built a house on it. He remained there until his death producing work inspired by the surrounding countryside. Hitchens developed a spontaneous approach to painting using large sweeps of colour to suggest light and shade, distance, atmosphere and seasonal change rather than the actual appearance of a landscape. Hitchens described Woodland Landscape as being in two 'movements' that begin on the left side and progress through to the right, from cool to warm colours.