St Ives School (1920s–1960s)
The St Ives School refers to a group of artists based in St Ives, Cornwall, particularly from the 1920s through the 1960s.
The movement is named after the town of St Ives, which became a hub for modernist and abstract art in Britain, largely due to its light, seascapes, and supportive artist community.
The driving force behind the movement was a desire to explore abstraction while maintaining a connection to nature. Artists were inspired by the rugged Cornish coastline, the quality of light, and the collaborative environment of the town. While some artists, like Hepworth and Nicholson, worked in abstract sculpture and painting, others drew inspiration from local fishermen and landscapes, blending modernist techniques with observation of place.
The movement represents a uniquely British modernism, combining international influences such as European abstraction with a local sense of geography and community.
Artworks to be inspired by-
You may like to try to reproduce Tamara de Lemoicka's artwork. I will be inspired by the ceramic designs of Eric Slater.
Barbara Hepworth – Pelagos
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Date: 1946
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Medium: Carved marble sculpture
Pelagos is a smooth, abstract marble sculpture featuring undulating forms and pierced holes, evoking the feeling of sea and sky. The work balances geometric structure with organic curves, suggesting both natural landscapes and human touch.
Barbara Hepworth embodies the St Ives ethos: abstraction informed by the local landscape and seascape. Her sculpture merges modernist ideas with a sense of place, reflecting both the natural beauty of Cornwall and the collaborative, innovative spirit of the St Ives artists. The tactile, material-focused approach shows the movement’s dedication to craft and form.
Alfred Wallis (1855–1942) was a self-taught British artist whose work is closely associated with St Ives. A former fisherman and scrap-dealer, he began painting in later life, using simple materials and working from memory rather than direct observation.
House at St Ives captures Wallis’s distinctive approach. The scene is flattened and direct, with bold outlines, uneven perspective and simplified forms. Buildings and boats appear slightly tilted or out of scale, not through lack of skill, but through Wallis’s instinctive way of recording places as he remembered and felt them. The painting has a quiet intensity, reflecting everyday coastal life rather than picturesque detail.
Wallis’s raw, honest style had a profound influence on modern British artists, particularly Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood, who recognised the expressive power of his work. House at St Ives stands as a strong example of how Wallis turned personal experience and memory into something both intimate and quietly radical.
Artists to Research:
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Barbara Hepworth
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Ben Nicholson
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Peter Lanyon
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Naum Gabo
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Patrick Heron
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Terry Frost
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John Wells
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Roger Hilton
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Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
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Alfred Wallis
Other Research:
Learn more about Alfred Wallis, click here.