GWEN JOHN, 1876-1939

The Pilgrim

ca. 1920, oil on canvas

This is one of four almost identical versions of the same subject, and exceptionally large in scale for Gwen John. It belonged to Michael Salaman, a friend of John's from her days at the Slade School of Art. In a letter of January 14, 1926, Salaman wrote to John about the picture: "the 'you' I hold tight to is the 'you' of over twenty years ago & I suppose a different being to the one I am writing to; yet not entirely for I have your picture & there is so much of the Gwen I know in it that I love having it & want more." In fact, the John he knew in the later twenties had evolved slowly and with remarkable consistency, adhering always to a carefully limited palette of pearly hues and soft tones; the figure here is the unknown sitter usually called the *Convalescent* model.

YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART. PAUL MELLON COLLECTION