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William Tillyer: The Watering Place

Current exhibition
9 October 2025
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  • Installation Views
  • William Tillyer, The Watering Place I, 2013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer, The Watering Place III, 2013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer, The Watering Place IV, 2013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer  The Watering Place I, 2015  Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper  57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins)  edition of 100 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer  The Watering Place Study - Landscape with Bridge, 2013  Signed lower right  Watercolour on paper  24.1 x 29.8 cms (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 ins) (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer, The Watering Place VI, 2013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    William Tillyer, The Watering Place I, 2013
  • Bernard Jacobson Gallery presents William Tillyer: The Watering Place (2013), a cycle of experimental Landscape paintings created from acrylic paint, mesh and canvas by British artist William Tillyer (b.1938). The exhibition will also feature watercolours and prints relating to ‘The Watering Place.'
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place I, 2013 signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place I, 2013
      signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place II, 2013 Signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place II, 2013
      Signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place III, 2013 Signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place III, 2013
      Signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place IV, 2013 Signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place IV, 2013
      Signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place V, 2013 Signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place V, 2013
      Signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place VI, 2013 Signed (verso) Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas 177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place VI, 2013
      Signed (verso)
      Acrylic on acrylic mesh and canvas
      177.8 x 203.2 cms (70 x 80 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place 5, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place 5, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place, 2013 Watercolour on Arches paper 57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place, 2013
      Watercolour on Arches paper
      57.2 x 76.8 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study, 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 25.4 x 30.5 cms (10 x 12 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study, 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      25.4 x 30.5 cms (10 x 12 ins)

    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study, 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study, 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study , 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study , 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study , 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study , 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      25.4 x 29.8 cms (10 x 11 3/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study - Bridge, 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 25.4 x 30.5 cms (10 x 12 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study - Bridge, 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      25.4 x 30.5 cms (10 x 12 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place Study - Landscape with Bridge, 2013 Initialled and titled (verso) Watercolour on paper 24.1 x 29.8 cms (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 ins)
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place Study - Landscape with Bridge, 2013
      Initialled and titled (verso)
      Watercolour on paper
      24.1 x 29.8 cms (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 ins)
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place I, 2013/2015 Signed and dated Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper 57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins) Edition of 100
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place I, 2013/2015
      Signed and dated
      Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper
      57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins)
      Edition of 100
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place II, 2013/2015 Signed and dated Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper 57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins) Edition of 100
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place II, 2013/2015
      Signed and dated
      Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper
      57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins)
      Edition of 100
    • William Tillyer The Watering Place III, 2013/2015 Signed and dated Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper 57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins) Edition of 100
      William Tillyer
      The Watering Place III, 2013/2015
      Signed and dated
      Inkjet on Somerset Photo paper
      57 x 76.5 cms (22 1/2 x 30 1/8 ins)
      Edition of 100
    • William Tillyer Black Venus, 1976 Screenprint 112.8 x 36 cms (44 1/2 x 14 1/4) Edition 100
      William Tillyer
      Black Venus, 1976
      Screenprint
      112.8 x 36 cms (44 1/2 x 14 1/4)
      Edition 100
    • William Tillyer Lattice, 1973 Etching 106 x 71.2 cms (41 3/4 x 28 ins) Edition
      William Tillyer
      Lattice, 1973
      Etching
      106 x 71.2 cms (41 3/4 x 28 ins)
      Edition
    • William Tillyer A Furnished Landscape - High Force, 1974 Edition of 90 90.5 x 68.5 cms (35 5/8 x 27 ins)
      William Tillyer
      A Furnished Landscape - High Force, 1974
      Edition of 90
      90.5 x 68.5 cms (35 5/8 x 27 ins)
    • William Tillyer Courthope Collection - The Lumsden's Vase, 1977 Etching 75.6 x 56.5 cms (29 3/4 x 22 1/4 ins) Etching
      William Tillyer
      Courthope Collection - The Lumsden's Vase, 1977
      Etching
      75.6 x 56.5 cms (29 3/4 x 22 1/4 ins)
      Etching
    • William Tillyer Courthope Collection - The Dale Vase with Pinks, 1977 Etching 75.6 x 56.5 cms (29 3/4 x 22 1/4 ins) Edition of 60
      William Tillyer
      Courthope Collection - The Dale Vase with Pinks, 1977
      Etching
      75.6 x 56.5 cms (29 3/4 x 22 1/4 ins)
      Edition of 60
    • William Tillyer The Lumsden's Pool, 1971 Etching on Arches paper 23.5 x 27.9 cms (9 1/4 x 11 ins) Edition of 25
      William Tillyer
      The Lumsden's Pool, 1971
      Etching on Arches paper
      23.5 x 27.9 cms (9 1/4 x 11 ins)
      Edition of 25
    • William Tillyer Dry Lake IV, 1971 Etching 55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4 ins) Edition of 50
      William Tillyer
      Dry Lake IV, 1971
      Etching
      55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4 ins)
      Edition of 50
    • William Tillyer Dry Lake III, 1971 Etching 55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4) Edition of 50
      William Tillyer
      Dry Lake III, 1971
      Etching
      55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4)
      Edition of 50
    • William Tillyer Dry Lake, 1971 Etching 55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4 ins) Edition of 50
      William Tillyer
      Dry Lake, 1971
      Etching
      55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 x 26 1/4 ins)
      Edition of 50
    • William Tillyer Dry Lake II, 1971 Etching 55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 xc 26 1/4 ins) Edition of 50
      William Tillyer
      Dry Lake II, 1971
      Etching
      55.9 x 66.7 cms (22 xc 26 1/4 ins)
      Edition of 50
    • William Tillyer Oak Leaf and Bridge, 2011 Etching on paper 44.5 x 55.9 cms (17 1/2 x 22 ins) Edition of 30
      William Tillyer
      Oak Leaf and Bridge, 2011
      Etching on paper
      44.5 x 55.9 cms (17 1/2 x 22 ins)
      Edition of 30
  • Press Release Text

    This October, Bernard Jacobson Gallery will present The Watering Place, William Tillyer’s groundbreaking cycle of six luminous landscape paintings.

     

    Tillyer’s Watering Place (2013) takes its point of departure from three masterpieces in the National Gallery, London: Peter Paul Rubens’ The Watering Place (c.1615), Thomas Gainsborough’s The Watering Place (c.1777), and John Constable’s The Hay Wain (1821). In conversation with these canonical works, Tillyer reimagines the pastoral tradition for a contemporary age, dissolving narrative into abstraction and prompting reflection on the fragility of our bond with the natural world.

     

    Rubens’ baroque canvas teems with fecundity and vigour: cattle and horses press forward with muscular force, framed by a landscape of abundance. Gainsborough, by contrast, transforms the motif into a lyrical reverie, suffused with the elegance of the English countryside and the poetics of rustic ease. A century later, Constable’s The Hay Wain extends the motif into the Romantic era. At its centre, a cart crosses the river Stour, a scene ordinary as well as emblematic. Here, water is no longer a mere backdrop but a threshold, a place where labour, livelihood, and nature intersect. Constable’s painting embodies the lived landscape: both working environment and imagined ideal.

     

    Tillyer acknowledges this lineage while radically reconfiguring it. The figures and animals of earlier centuries are absent; instead, colour, form, and atmosphere take over. Painted on industrial mesh supports rather than canvas, these works seem to breathe with the instability of water itself. Pigment seeps, hovers, and disperses; translucent veils yield to geometric scaffolds that disrupt pastoral illusion. Surfaces oscillate between solidity and dissolution. In extending Constable’s meditation on water as a means of passage, Tillyer allows the viewer’s gaze to travel through porous planes and between history and the present.

     

    Tillyer’s technique is as radical as it is distinctive. Working with sheets of plastic mesh hung from the ceiling, he pushes paint of varying viscosity through the grid from both front and back. Thin washes flow and bleed, while thicker pigment bulges forward “like cheese through a grater,” in his own words. This apparent chaos dripping, flooding, brushing, is anchored by a disc motif, positioned high or low in the composition, a sun or a moon hinting at a horizon that invites the viewer to recognise it as a landscape. The Watering Place reflects his enduring commitment to innovation, situating the weight of history within an artistic language that is unmistakably of the present.

     

    In referencing Rubens, Gainsborough, and Constable, Tillyer demonstrates the adaptability and continued relevance of the landscape tradition. While his use of mesh complicates that inheritance: the paintings are simultaneously open and elusive, suggesting that our relationship to nature and to its pictorial representation is no longer stable, but contingent, fragile, and profoundly uncertain.

     

    Alongside the six paintings of The Watering Place, Bernard Jacobson Gallery will also present related watercolours and a selection of limited-edition prints.

     

    Born in Middlesbrough in 1938, William Tillyer has, for more than half a century, interrogated the very possibilities of painting. The American poet and critic John Yau has called him “the most adventuresome artist of his generation.” His work is represented in major public collections including Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. 

    Download Press Release
  • Artist
    • William Tillyer

      William Tillyer

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