Houses and Big Trees - Alfred Wallis

A characteristic work by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis, featuring simplified houses set against a backdrop of imposing trees in a flattened, naïve style.

Alfred Wallis, a retired Cornish fisherman, began painting in his late sixties after the death of his wife. He possessed no formal training, choosing instead to work on scavenged materials such as cardboard boxes and scraps of paper. This specific composition demonstrates his characteristic approach to spatial representation, where perspective is flattened and objects are arranged according to their perceived importance rather than their physical distance from the viewer.

The image presents a series of small, simplified dwellings positioned against a backdrop of towering, dark trees. Wallis uses a restricted palette, relying on muted tones of grey, brown, and off-white to define the forms. The houses appear almost toy-like, rendered with basic geometric shapes, while the trees dominate the upper portion of the frame with heavy, vertical brushwork. This lack of traditional depth creates a sense of immediacy and directness, which later caught the attention of artists such as Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood.

Wallis painted primarily from memory and imagination, often depicting the coastal environment of St Ives. His work is noted for its raw, unrefined quality, which avoids the conventions of academic art. By using whatever materials were available, he created a body of work that remains distinct within the history of British art. This print captures the quiet, observational nature of his practice, reflecting a personal vision that prioritises the essence of the subject over technical accuracy. The composition is balanced by the horizontal line of the foreground, which provides a grounding element for the verticality of the trees above.