Henry Scott Tuke, “The Critics”, 1927, Oil on Canvas, Warwick District Council, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
One of a group of artists who settled in Newlyn in Cornwall and painted outdoors on location, Slade-trained artist Henry Scott Tuke is best known today for his paintings of young Cornish men bathing, swimming and sunbathing.
“The Critics”, painted in 1927, is one of Tuke’s most notable works. Two young men resting on the seashore are seen from behind, completely unaware of their archetypal allure as they joke with a third youth obscured by the water. Sensual in subject matter, tonality and brushstroke, the viewer’s perspective is that of the adoring voyeur reminiscent of E. M. Forster’s novel “Maurice”.