* FRED YATES (BRITISH 1922 - 2008), FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE

oil on board framed image size 99cm x 77cm, overall size 113cm x 92cm Provenance: The artists estate Note: Fred Yates was a self-taught British artist, known for his plein-air paintings of the English landscape. Influenced by so-called naïve art and the work of L S Lowry, Yates' work incorporated bold colours, loose brushwork, and child-like abstractions. Often, he layered paint on top of the canvas to create a thick, textured surface, giving his paintings a sculptural quality. Born on July 25, 1922 in Urmston, England, Yates fought in the Second World War alongside his twin brother, who was killed at the Battle of Arnheim. After the war, he began painting the Manchester cityscape in his free time and became well known in the local art scene, working alongside painter Lowry. Yates moved to Cornwall in 1968, where he began painting rocky beach landscapes and scenes of village life. He gained national attention after presenting his work at the 1985 exhibition “St Ives 1939– 64” at the Tate Gallery in London. A decade later, the artist moved to Rancon, France, painting the local landscape for the remainder of his artistic career. Yates died on July 7, 2008 in England at the age of 85. His work is held in the collections of the Brighton and Hove Art Gallery, Liverpool University, and the University of Warwick.