It is likely that gratitude led to the creation of this remarkable work. It was painted onto the wall of Staite Murray's home, Red Stream Cottage in Bramley, Surrey. Although the substantial correspondence between the Murrays and Nicholson over many years suggest regular contact in person, it is not until a letter of 1947 places Nicholson at Red Stream Cottage, staying in May of that year.
In May of 1947, Nicholson was holding an important retrospective of his work at the Lefevre Gallery in London, for which he asked to
borrow five of his early works from Fred & Madge, almost half of their collection. Their walls must have looked quite bare!
All the paintings he borrowed for this exhibition were created in the 1920s and 30s.
One of the works 'Le Quotidien' 1932, is pictured below (right).
The mural (centre) with Venetian Red 1932 (left) and Le Quotidien 1932 (right)
Stylistically, the mural contains many elements of Nicholson's earlier paintings of the 1930s; his use of lettering, scattered dots and
lines are prevalent. But his use of geometric lines and shapes within the mural also align strongly with the works he was creating
in the mid to later 1940s. We also know from his correspondence that he was developing a great appreciation of the music of Bach in 1947.
The mural (centre) with two works from 1947 and 1949
It is not implausible to think that having stripped their walls of so many paintings, Nicholson painted the mural to show his
appreciation, one that merged elements of his current work, and of the paintings he had taken away.
It was a gift that the Staite Murrays were rightly proud of. It adorned the wall of a room where an
alabaster sculpture by Hepworth was displayed and in later years was protected by a layer of perspex. Madge died in 1991. Her close neighbours of over 25 years, the Metcalfs, remembered her fondly. Over time, they heard her many stories about famous artists and were shown the Nicholson mural. After Madge's death, they acted as custodians, ensuring new owners of Red Stream Cottage were informed of the remarkable legacy within their walls.
