John Minton’s formative years were spent in London and France but were interrupted by the Second World War (1939–1945), when he served in the Pioneer Corps. He held his first solo exhibition in London just after the war ended, when he shared a studio with Keith Vaughan (whose work is shown alongside). This dramatic view of the Cornish landscape, complete with a palm tree, was painted at that time and reflects his interest in the neoromantic approach of leading British modernists like Paul Nash with their enthusiasm for Continental surrealism, as well as an appreciation of the pastoral tradition of English landscape represented by artists of the nineteenth century, such as Samuel Palmer. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016