Coast Scene Near Lympne by Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill
1874-1965 | British

Coast Scene Near Lympne

Oil on canvas

Immediately recognizable as one of the most important statesmen in world history, Sir Winston Churchill also pursued the art of painting for more than 40 years. A particularly fine piece from the statesman’s oeuvre, this masterpiece entitled Coast Scene Near Lympne is rendered in fluid brushstrokes and a vivid array of hues. 

Churchill often leveraged his elite connections to navigate the complex political landscape of the 1920s and 1930s. Many of these invaluable social interactions occurred at the setting of this magnificent landscape painting: the distinguished Port Lympne estate. Owned by Sir Philip Sassoon, an influential member of the renowned Rothschild family, the estate was a nexus for the era's intellectual and political luminaries. 

Located atop the picturesque cliffs overlooking the Romney Marsh, Port Lympne was built upon land once settled by the ancient Romans and welcomed the likes of T.E. Lawrence, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charlie Chaplin and the Churchills. The beautiful coastal setting provided a wealth of inspiration for the statesman and this composition showcases the splendor of the estate’s panoramic views. 

Painted from the vantage point of the cliffside estate, Churchill renders a moody swirl of gray and white clouds gathering over the bay. Tranquil water laps at the shoreline, rendered in a mix of verdant and sandy tones. The juxtaposition of the brooding clouds and calm waters imbues the work with a reflective and introspective quality and perhaps mirrors Churchill’s own inner thoughts as he took to the estate for respite but was never removed from the political tensions continuing to stir in Europe and beyond. 

Painting was a dominating passion for Churchill in the last half of his life. There is little evidence that he had any artistic training prior to his 40s. In fact, his wife Clementine mentioned at one point that before he began painting, Churchill had hardly visited an art museum, much less created art. Churchill first began painting following a personal and political disaster — the Dardanelles campaign in 1915. He is quoted as telling the painter Sir John Rothenstein: “If it weren’t for painting, I couldn’t live; I couldn’t bear the strain of things.” 

 Churchill painted roughly 500 works, approximately 350 of which are housed in Churchill’s garden studio at Chartwell. Only a few others were given to friends and remain in private collections. This painting is illustrated prominently in the preeminent publication of Churchill's paintings Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings by David Coombs and also in Mary Saome’s biography of her father Winston Churchill: His Life as a Painter.

Circa 1930

Canvas: 20” high x 24” wide (50.8 x 60.96 cm)
Frame: 27” high x 31 1/4” wide x 2" deep (68.58 x 79.38 x 5.08 cm)

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Exhibited:
Chartwell, The Studio loan exhibit

References:
Mary Soames, Winston Churchill: His Life as a Painter: A Memoir by His Daughter, Houghton Mifflin, 1990, illustrated p. 47
David Coombs and Minnie Churchill Sir Winston Churchill's life Through His Paintings, Chaucer Press, London, 2003, no. C290, fig. 162. illustrated in colour. p. 91.

Provenance: By direct family descent from the Artist
Sale, Sotheby's London, 21 July 2005
M.S. Rau, New Orleans