James Power, British 1944-1999 - Jardin II, Draveil, France, 1985; oil on canvas, signed, titled and dated to the reverse of the stretcher 'Power Jardin II Summer 85', 55 x 46.5 cm: together with a framed oil on canvas landscape, 46 x 35 cm (2) Provenance: the Estate of the Artist Note: when James Power moved to Dreveil, France, in 1977, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, he followed in the footsteps of Eugene Delacroix, who lived there from 1844 to the end of his life, citing his love for the lush countryside. The lushness of the area made a strong impression on James Power, as evidenced by the colour palette of the works in this collection. Developing an interest and talent for music early in his life, his interest in music continued, along with a love of literature and film, all influencing his painting. Often using a fish eye perspective, with the brush strokes of Expressionists such as Soutine or Kokoschka, his works have a narrative quality, something that he shared with his lifelong friend Ken Kiff. He is a studied artist, as evidenced by the art history books one can spot in some of his paintings. Of his works he commented, ‘[I] should like that they be seen for what they are: narrative pictures, naturalistically rendered. I hope that they evoke a very strong atmosphere.’ Hidden away for nearly 30 years, we are pleased to offer these works from the Estate of the Artist. His works are in private collections in France, USA, Singapore and England and the Aberdeen Trust, London. His work was also included in the group exhibition curated by Norton Lynton, ‘Body and Soul’, at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and he has exhibited at Connaught Brown and with Kapil Jariwala Gallery.