Harry Watson studied at the Lambeth School of Art and at the Royal College of Art (1889-94)

where he won numerous gold, silver and bronze medals and was awarded a traveling

scholarship to Italy. During this time, he would have seen the works of the Impressionists

exhibited regularly at Durand-Ruel’s gallery on Bond Street and would have been aware

of how it was influencing the works of his contemporaries through exhibitions at the

Royal Academy and the New England Arts Club. Initially he painted in a conventional late-

Victorian style but later developed into a plein air painter whose works exhibit great

freshness and spontaneity, reminiscent of Clausen and Bastien-Lepage. From 1906

Watson’s Academy exhibits celebrate rural activities, illustrating figures recumbent

beside streams, or wandering through woodland settings, using the theme as a metaphor

for the profound relationship between nature and mankind.

Watson’s use of a modern, vibrant palette, bold and rapid brushstrokes, and a sense of

rapidly capturing a moment in time, rather than a detailed devotion to narrative, sets The

Garden Party apart from the depictions of children that his more traditional

contemporaries were exhibiting. The painting provides a fascinating link between

Edwardian subject matter and the modern techniques that had been developed by the

Impressionists and is redolent of John Singer Sargent’s (1856-1925) influential painting

'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose' (1885-6, Tate Britain) which was both acclaimed and

decried when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1887.

The Garden Party is a painting that visually can be appreciated immediately and delivers a

direct experience of light. It is the scene of an idealised view of childhood, set in a sun-

dappled garden; a delightful evocation of warm, untroubled, summer days. The light-

filled garden is abundant with flowers, the soft yellow of evening primrose is picked out

with flecks of cerise, blue, lilac and lime green. The scene depicts a group of well-dressed,

well-behaved children: one boy with his back towards the viewer, and two girls. The

older girl sits demurely, with light shining on her hair, wearing a beautifully clean, white,

lace-collared dress. She rests a protective hand on the back of the younger girl who lies

on her front to her side. All the children have their eyes lowered, possibly in prayer as

they say ‘Grace’ before their repast, consisting of apples and cake. Smart porcelain

teacups are placed on a pristine white cloth. A straw hat lies in the foreground, upturned,

as it if has been dropped in eagerness by the young girl who has let go her ball and

flopped down, her hair slightly loosened from her blue bow, now swinging one raised

foot, as if in impatient anticipation of the food on offer. It stands as one of the artist's most accomplished works.