'The Gyppos' by Dame Laura Knight
'The Gyypos' is one of two paintings by Dame Laura Knight which are owned by the Ferens Art Gallery. Laura Knight is perhaps most famous now as the first female Royal Academician since the original women members. #SUBHEADING#First visit to the Races#SUBHEADINGEND# Knight visited both Epsom and Ascot and at Epsom was invited to a gypsy camp on a common at Iver Heath. Just as she had befriended the circus performers, she soon became friendly with the gypsies who visited the races and visited them regularly. This time, Knight was to be much more inspired by individuals rather than the horses which fill her circus paintings. In 'the Gyppos' we do not see the horses but only the excitement and activity around the track which is in the background of the painting. #SUBHEADING#The Gyppos#SUBHEADINGEND# 'The Gyppos' is particularly appealing and shows three girls posing for the artist at Epsom races. Two of the girls hold crystal balls suggesting they are fortune tellers. The artist is said to have taken a whole day to do the painting and gave each of the girls child five pounds. By co-incidence, the girl on the left in the painting later moved to Hull to live a non-gypsy life. She was called Katherine Towse and was 15 at the time of the painting. She could remember how Knight was drawn attracted by their bright clothes, their dresses and scarves. She also recalled how she often told fortunes but never those of her family. There was a dispute about the title of this painting when it was purchased by the Gallery in 1937. The artist chose to call it 'The Gyppos', a term which is regarded as offensive today, but the Gallery preferred 'At the Door'. #SUBHEADING#Mr Sully#SUBHEADINGEND# The three girls in the painting are posing at the door of the artist's borrowed Rolls Royce. It has an unusual viewpoint as, like the artist, we are looking down at the girls. The Rolls Royce was owned by a Mr Sully who took Laura Knight and Ally Bert to the races during the week. Apparently it was used during the weekend for weddings! The height of the Rolls Royce meant Knight could set up her easel and canvas inside and paint in comfort away from the weather. Gypsies often stood and posed for her in the car's open doorway. #SUBHEADING#Techniques and Methods#SUBHEADINGEND# This work was painted in 1936, much later than our other painting 'Dressing the Children, which was painted in 1906. If you compare the two paintings it is evident that her style changed drastically over a period of 30 years. 'Dressing the Children' shows the influence of 17th Dutch masters. She used dark and subtle colours, lots of grey, black and brown. In contrast, shortly after completing this painting, Laura moved away from such sombre tones and painted more impressionistic works full of bright light and colours. Knight's paintings from this period, like those of her contemporaries, not only provide a fascinating insight into an exotic world full of energy and drama but are a unique historical record of the early twentieth century and a way of life which was rapidly vanishing.
