Silver and Green

Hilda Fearon’s painting depicts two young girls at a breakfast table on a summer morning. The scene is flooded with bright, clear light—the real subject engaging the painter here. Sunlight pours through the windowpanes and curtains onto the white tablecloth and assemblage of gleaming glassware, porcelain, and silver. The greens and yellows of the sundrenched lawn are echoed by daffodils, lemons, and a bottle of juice. Fearon’s artistic career flourished in Cornwall and then London before her early death at the age of 39. She exhibited her paintings frequently at the Royal Academy.