Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Contemporary Art Society
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/tristram-hillier-1288" aria-label="More by Tristram Hillier" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Tristram Hillier</a>
La Route des Alpes
Presented by the Contemporary Art Society 1944
Alps
architecture
cities, towns, villages (non-UK)
countries and continents
France
landscape
mast
mountain
natural features (non-UK)
places
road
signage
townscapes / man-made features
Vence
<p>Hillier studied at the Slade School of Art, London, in 1926, and then in Paris. He lived in the South of France until 1940, and this picture was painted in 1937 when he was staying near Vence. The artist later wrote of the work: 'Here I started to paint landscape again, not in my earlier manner en plein air, but attempting to construct my pictures from rough drawings which I would elaborate in the studio, in the style of the Flemish and Italian masters whose work I had recently had so much opportunity of studying. This was the beginning of my ultimate phase in painting, and became the manner in which I have worked ever since.'</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
1 February 2001 – 2 June 2003
2003-06-02
Tate Liverpool (Liverpool, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/
2001-02-01
Modern British Art II
Collection based display
11 February 2013 – 2 June 2013
2013-06-02
12 February 2013 – 2 June 2013
2013-06-02
2013-02-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2013-02-11
Looking at the View
Collection based display
9 November 2019 – 20 April 2020
2020-04-20
9 November 2019 – 20 April 2020
2020-04-20
2019-11-09
Museum of Somerset (Taunton, UK)
2019-11-09
Painter Pilgrim: The Art and Life of Tristram Hillier
Loan-out
La Route des Alpes
support: 597 × 806 mm
frame: 796 × 1010 × 90 mm
Presented by the <a href="/search?gid=999999975" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Contemporary Art Society</a> 1944
<p>Hillier studied at the Slade School of Art,  London, in 1926, and then in Paris. He lived in  the South of France until 1940, and this picture  was painted in 1937 when he was staying near  Vence. The artist later wrote of the work: 'Here I  started to paint <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/landscape" title="Glossary definition for 'Landscape'"><span>landscape</span></a> again, not in my  earlier manner en <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/plein-air" title="Glossary definition for 'Plein Air'"><span>plein air</span></a>, but attempting to  construct my pictures from rough <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> which I  would elaborate in the studio, in the style of the  Flemish and Italian masters whose work I had  recently had so much opportunity of studying. This  was the beginning of my ultimate phase in  <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a>, and became the manner in which I have  worked ever since.'</p>
Display caption
2004-09-03T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<p><b>N05447</b> LA ROUTE DES ALPES 1937
<br/> 
<br/>Inscr. ‘Hillier’ b.l.
<br/>Tempera on canvas, 23 1/2×31 3/4 (60×80·5).
<br/>Presented by the Contemporary Art Society 1944.
<br/><i>Coll:</i> Purchased by the C.A.S. through Arthur Tooth &amp; Sons 1943.
<br/><i>Lit:</i> Tristram Hillier, <i>Leda and the Goose</i>, 1954, p.151.
<br/><i>Repr:</i> <i>C.A.S. Report 1942–3</i>, 1944, facing p.6; Hesketh Hubbard, <i>A Hundred Years of British Painting 1851–1951</i>, 1951, pl.114.</p>
<p>Painted in 1937 when the artist was staying near Vence. He writes (<i>loc. cit.</i>): ‘Here I started to paint <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/landscape" title="Glossary definition for 'Landscape'"><span>landscape</span></a> again, not in my earlier manner <i>en <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/plein-air" title="Glossary definition for 'Plein Air'"><span>plein air</span></a></i>, but attempting to construct my pictures from rough <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> which I would elaborate in the studio, in the style of the Flemish and Italian masters whose work I had recently had so much opportunity of studying. This was the beginning of my ultimate phase in <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a>, and became the manner in which I have worked ever since. There is a picture of mine <i>La Route des Alpes</i> dating from this time which now hangs in the Tate Gallery and illustrates fairly well, though I do not care for it, this period of transition from <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/a/abstract-art" title="Glossary definition for 'Abstract art'"><span>abstraction</span></a> and <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/surrealism" title="Glossary definition for 'Surrealism'"><span>surrealism</span></a> to <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/r/representational" title="Glossary definition for 'Representational'"><span>representational</span></a> painting.’</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, <i>The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture</i>, London 1964, I
<br/></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-10-07T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
Alps architecture cities, towns, villages (non-UK) countries and continents France landscape mast mountain natural features (non-UK) places road signage townscapes / man-made features Vence