Two Boats - Alfred Wallis

A characteristic maritime scene by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis, featuring two sailing boats rendered in his signature naïve, flattened style on cardboard.

Alfred Wallis, a retired Cornish fisherman, began painting in his late sixties following the death of his wife. Working primarily on salvaged cardboard scraps and discarded packaging, he utilised the limited materials available to him in St Ives. His approach to composition ignores traditional perspective, favouring a flattened, map-like arrangement that prioritises the memory of the subject over optical accuracy.

In this work, two sailing vessels occupy the centre of the frame. The hulls are rendered with simple, direct brushwork, while the sails are defined by dark, angular shapes. The sea is depicted through rhythmic, horizontal strokes of grey and white paint, suggesting movement without attempting realism. A band of muted green sits above the water, representing the coastline or distant hills. The raw texture of the cardboard remains visible in the unpainted areas, acting as a neutral ground that unifies the composition.

Wallis painted from memory, drawing upon his years of experience at sea. His lack of formal training allowed him to develop a distinct visual language, free from the conventions of academic art. By using household paints and whatever surfaces he could find, he created works that possess a direct, unmediated quality. His output was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in 1928, which brought his work to the attention of the wider London art scene. Despite this recognition, Wallis continued to paint in isolation, maintaining his singular focus on the maritime subjects that defined his life. This print captures the tactile nature of the original, preserving the humble materials and the honest, unpretentious spirit of his practice.