On Paul Hill

This is a major late work by Stanhope Forbes, a leading member of the Newlyn School, and a superb example of 1920s painting in Britain. Influenced by French 'plein air' painters, the artist painted this view from the junction between Chywoone (or 'Paul') Hill and the top of Adit Lane in Newlyn, West Cornwall, a view still recognisable today. In the distance is Penzance, with St Mary's Church and the Queen's Hotel prominently visible. The work epitomises artists' concern with depicting a return to normality after World War I and celebrating the conservative values of rural village life.