Alfred James Munnings (British painter) 1878 - 1959
Crossing the Ford, 1909
oil on canvas
48.3 x 75 cm. (19 x 29.5 in.)
signed A.J. Munnings and dated 1909 (lower right)
private collection
Catalogue Note
Munnings held a lifelong fascination with the effects of light and water and he returned to the ford theme frequently from 1906-1911. Using his own horses and grooms as models, Munnings would alter the number of horses and ponies, change the groupings, viewpoints and locations which enabled him to explore numerous artistic possibilities. As the artist explained, "the mere sight of these ponies, coming or going gave me fresh pictures. Like a game of chess, there was no end to it" (Alfred Munnings, An Artist's Life, Bungay, Suffolk, 1950, p. 238).
As ponies splashed through the water, the movement broke the lines in the current which, in turn, generated swirling ripples and a dance of flickering light and color. In the present work, the water reflects the unseen grey sky which casts a blue-grey hue on the ponies' coats. Munnings carried the tone throughout the painting making the work a cohesive whole.
Crossing the Ford shows Munnings' favorite groom leading the horses through the water. In An Artist's Life, Munnings describes him as a young man who "slept under the caravan with the dogs, and had no family of his own, no family ties, no parents that he knew. This son of the wild went by the name of Shrimp... little did I dream that he would one day become for me an indispensible model, an inspiring rogue, and an annoying villain... He was a paintable figure... and the best model I ever had" (Munnings, p. 207, 211, 217).
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