Although best known for his portraits, often of beautiful women in the attire of that period, Lavery is remembered for being one of Britain’s most atypical war artists. Infirmity and a serious road accident kept Lavery from travelling to the Western Front and, consequently, Lavery became celebrated for his depictions of landscapes untouched by the ravages of war whilst his contemporaries were capturing the brutality of it.

In this serene portrayal of life on the Riviera, there isn’t a hint of political unrest or turbulence of any kind. Indeed, it could be argued that the male figure is representative of Lavery himself - an artist left to experience the war through a crumpled newspaper on the veranda of a sun-kissed hotel.

Such tranquil scenes would later inspire Edward Hopper, as well as the great filmmakers of the 1950s
and 60s.