William Russell Flint visited France in 1924. This painting depicts the beach in Summer at St Malo in Brittany. It is also a prime work that exhibits his supreme skills of composition and technical ability.
Studying any of of the above images shows how, with the lightest of unfaltering touches, and flicks of the brush, he creates perfect impressions of animate figures languishing, or wading, or strolling on the beach, and with his steadiness of hand and perfect judgement of colour and tone, creates the gradation from sea to land with sea shallow and deeper, sea over sand, subtle reflections in the wet sands, the tones of dry sand and people the shadows cast by them and their activities on the beach.
He combines impression and realism to powerful effect, producing a magical and evocative image.
The painting is signed lower left. It is signed again and fully inscribed on the back board by the artist; "The gay promontory, St Malo. July 1924. William Russell Flint".
