Artwork
Souillac
Souillac is an oil painting by Leverton Harris. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
About this work
Overview
Leverton Harris’s 1923 oil on canvas, titled Souillac, presents a quiet rural tableau. The composition centers on a modest town nestled among gentle hills, its rooftops and trees rendered with restrained detail. A broad, grassy foreground leads the eye toward the settlement, creating a sense of openness and calm.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of pastoral tranquility, emphasizing the harmonious relationship between built structures and the surrounding landscape. By focusing on muted greens and earth tones, Harris underscores the modest, unhurried character of the locale, inviting contemplation of everyday serenity.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting employs subtle chiaroscuro to model forms, allowing light to bathe the scene in a warm, diffused glow. The limited palette of greens, browns, and soft yellows contributes to a cohesive atmospheric effect, while delicate brushwork suggests texture in foliage and terrain without overt detail.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1920s, Souillac entered the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, where it remains on view. The acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in early twentieth‑century British landscape painting and adds to its holdings of works by lesser‑known regional artists.
Artist & collection
Artist
British artist Leverton Harris painted portraits and scenes in oils during the early 1900s.
Paysage Panoramique
The Village of Éragny
View of Dedham from the Lane Leading from East Bergholt Church to Flatford
A Cornish Valley
Boatyard at Saint-Mammès
On the banks of the Seine at Lévy, 1884
Vale of Clwyd
The Big Pear Tree at Montfoucault
La Grande Route
The Valley of the Stour with Dedham in the Distance
Village on a river, sunset
Hilly Landscape