Trained in Paris, first as an architect and later as a painter, Charles Ginner was particularly suited to the pictorial exploration of London’s streets and squares, a subject he pursued with increasing commitment from 1912 on. He, with his fellow Camden Town painter Harold Gilman, regarded his narratives as examples of “Neo-Realism,” a highly individualized stylistic philosophy that interpreted subjects “nearest our hearts, i.e., Life in all its effects, moods and developments.” Here, the small, regular touches of thick paint, reminiscent of densely worked embroidery, give an unexpected substance and weight to the mountains of vibrantly colored fruit, to the haphazardly hung awnings above, and to the precariously placed wooden crates below. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
