Two Men and a Boat

Between 1948 and 1952 Vaughan embarked on a series of eight lithographic prints. By way of preparation for them, he made a set of studies using black, waxy crayons, gouache and collage. Although never made into a print, it is most likely that Two Men and a Boat was created for the same purpose, and relates to his lithographs Man and Boat (1949), The Old Seaweed Hoist (1951) and Finistère (1952). Part of the interest of these works lies in their stylistic break from Neo-Romantic preoccupations and the artist’s embracing of new influences. Paintings by Braque and Picasso, with their monumental anatomical forms and flattened treatment of pictorial space, had begun to filter through into Vaughan’s beach scenes. The subject, of course, also gave him the licence he required to depict the male nude. In the 1940s he produced at least two-dozen oil paintings featuring bathers, beaches, cliffs and boats. Ever since his visits to Pagham in the 1930s coastal landscapes had exerted an irresistible fascination over him and much of his work at this time represents figures on deserted beaches or fishermen unloading their catch or mending their tackle. Invariably, upturned rowing boats supply compositional features, while distant cliffs, promontories and skylines help locate scenes and contribute colour, context and atmosphere.

Vaughan’s model for the seated figure was John McGuinness. They met the year Two Men and a Boat was painted and soon began an affair. He posed for several oil paintings at this time including Fishermen at Mevagissey (1948) and Interior with Figures and a Table (1948), in which his broad features and flattened nose are easily recognisable.

We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings for preparing this catalogue entry. His new book on Keith Vaughan's graphic art will be published by Lund Humphries later this year.