Houses and Kilns - Alfred Wallis

A characteristic work by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis, depicting the St Ives harbour with his signature flattened perspective and direct, expressive style.

Alfred Wallis, a former Cornish fisherman and scrap merchant, began painting in his late sixties after the death of his wife. He worked primarily on salvaged cardboard, often cutting the material into irregular shapes to suit his compositions. This work, Houses and Kilns, displays his characteristic approach to perspective and scale. Wallis ignored conventional rules of depth, choosing instead to arrange elements based on their importance to his memory of the St Ives harbour.

The composition is divided into distinct horizontal zones. The upper section features the imposing, dark forms of kilns, which dominate the skyline. Below, a row of white cottages sits along the quay, their windows rendered as simple, glowing rectangles. The lower portion of the work depicts the harbour water and small vessels, executed with quick, direct brushwork. The palette is restrained, relying on greys, blacks, and whites, with the natural tone of the cardboard serving as a neutral ground.

Wallis was entirely self-taught, and his work was later championed by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood, who discovered him in 1928. His output is defined by a lack of formal training, which allowed him to develop a visual language free from academic constraints. The irregular edges of the cardboard support are a common feature of his practice, reflecting his habit of using whatever materials were available to him. This piece captures the industrial and maritime character of the Cornish coast through a personal, simplified lens, focusing on the essential shapes of the buildings and the rhythmic movement of the boats.