Leaning Woman
A painter of stylised figure compositions, lithographer and theatrical designer, Colquhoun studied art in Glasgow and then travelled around Europe on a scholarship. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps but was invalided out in 1941 when he commenced Civil Defence work, painting mostly at night. Colquhoun was noticably influenced by Gauguin (1848-1903) and Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), producing paintings that are stiff and angular with strong, bright colours. Presumably painted in the 1940s, this picture, although heavily stylised, is a portrait, unlike his other works that are figure studies rather than facial likeness. The strident, hard colours, heavy black outlines, and especially the treatment of the face, are reminiscent of Picasso (1881-1973).
