Ben Nicholson OM1928 (foothills, Cumberland) 1928

During the 1920s, Ben and Winifred Nicholson lived in a house close to Hadrian’s Wall in Cumberland. Their lifestyle was simple and traditional; they shared a belief in Christian Science. In their art too they sought to escape the sophistication of academic painting, typified by the work of Ben’s father William Nicholson. Painting mostly landscape, they cultivated a deliberately naïve style which was reinforced by an encounter with the untutored amateur painter Alfred Wallis, whose work is on display in this room.