The Camelia watercolour study was painted by Munnings from a cast as part of his training at the Norwich School of Art. This was common practice for students and involved close tonal study of light and shade, within a limited colour-range, to create a three dimensional effect.

Munnings recalled in his autobiography that headmaster, Walter Scott “made me see values, tones and shadow shapes…” Scott impressed upon Munnings “whatever you do, remember the tone.”

Stranded was one of the first two paintings by Munnings accepted for show at the Royal Academy in 1899. This light filled work, from August 1898 captures bright colours and highlights with a palette which seems informed by the Impressionist movement.

The English painter Henry Herbert La Thangue, was a considerable early influence on Munnings who called him “one of my Gods…who showed the beauties of sunlight.”

Resplendent in deep red, Nelly Gray is seated on a sofa of exactly the same colour as her outfit. In choosing the same colourway throughout his work Munnings was showing his skills as a painter of tone.

With no white highlights, the figure of Nelly Gray emerges from the sofa by means of varying depths of tonal values from the dominant colour red. She is modelled by use of darker red hues for the outline of her figure and draped skirt, contrasting with lighter shades for her collar, foreground and hat decoration. Her white blouse has diffused tones of red running through it and her earrings described by Munnings as gold are, on close observation, also depicted in pink, to harmonise with the limited colour range.

In the early years of his artistic career Munnings went on painting sojourns to the outskirts of Norwich and the Ringland Hills.

Painting ‘plein air’, he honed his observational skills and experimented with colour effects. Munnings recalled the: “…fought out struggles, resulting in the gain of design, tone, colour, light, values, drawing and perspective…”

Here he has captured the reflected colours of the sandpit on the hind quarters of the ponies in the foreground. While the white pony Augereau, one of Munnings favourite early models, is depicted with a halo of the brightest light picked out on his mane, tail and back. The grassy area where he stands is reflected in his coat with green tones as shadow under the neck and belly.

Munnings wrote “Having seen the work of the Spaniard, Sorolla, I was trying to paint more swiftly.”

It is possible that Munnings saw his works when they were exhibited at the Grafton Galleries, London in 1908. Path to the Orchard dates to this period and Munnings noted that he looked directly into the sun when painting this work.

The white pony, Augereau, is bathed in sunlight along with girl’s linen hat.

Two locations on the river Waveney were used as the backdrop for this painting. Munnings favoured the tones which grey days offered: “The grey-weather subject I prepared for was ‘The Ford’ - grey water and dark reflections broken by lines of the current.”

Large swathes of impasto paint are applied throughout the canvas. Although no sky is visible, the effects of a grey day can be seen in the reflections in the water.

The abstract manner in which Munnings handled the paint gives emphasises to the movement of the swirling water, displaced by the ponies’ as they trail through the ford.

It was in Cornwall that Munnings painted Two Girls and a Dog in which he captured the atmospheric warmth of a Cornish summers’ day and the dazzling light at play, particularly, on the seated girl’s voluminous dress.

When Munnings met Ned Osborne, the model for this painting and many of his Cornwall works, he observed: “Ned had now become a useful groom, and had the right-coloured face and figure for a scarlet coat and black cap.”

A model’s complexion may seem a less obvious consideration, but for Munnings this was key in his planning. Years earlier he had commented on the complexions of village models who he chose to paint when still at home in Mendham.

Munnings married in 1920 and settled at Castle House, Dedham in Essex with his wife Violet. For much of the early years of their marriage Munnings was away from home painting equestrian commissions.

He wrote to her on one occasion: “We’ll have evenings on the River when I get back. I’ll do a good one of you in the canoe.”

Though several versions of The White Canoe were painted Munnings retained this work. It is significant that the most striking highlight in the painting is that of Violet’s wedding ring as she rests her hand on the edge of the canoe.

Tagg’s Island is situated in the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The scene is of a group of Munnings friends and models meeting and celebrating on a sun-drenched day.

This was a work which he painted for his own pleasure and is an exemplar of his preoccupation with painting colour and the effects of light on motifs.

The composition of figures is arranged frieze-like across the picture plane. They are linked and harmonised by the application of repeated colours; greens and yellows, forming shadows and highlights.

Rich Gift was the first thoroughbred stallion to be sent to Munnings own stables to be painted.

When writing his autobiography, The Second Burst, Munnings recalled: “Again I began in my mind, mixing the rich, dark, bluey tones of quarters, back and shoulders-painting the turn of the neck-always so difficult…”

In his later years Munnings spent much of his time at Newmarket races, especially the starts. He made copious pencil studies in small sketch books. Most of these were accompanied by colour notes about the jockeys’ silks, and the reflected lights on the horses, including how warm or cool the tones were to be.

He recalled: "the sunlight raced along the Heath, spread, and caught the group under Starter's orders, and once more I saw the classic sight of bright silks against a dark sky.”

Munnings has chosen pink for the girl’s shift dress or petticoat. She is unknown and remains an enigmatic figure in this domestic and personal space.

Pink permeates throughout the composition, from the warm tones in the sky of approaching dusk to the foreground river.

Cross hatched brush strokes create the effect of a breeze rippling the surface waters.

Munnings wrote: “Sunlight streaming through a transparent, pink Japanese sunshade-exquisite-a challenge to the eye.”

The model’s hair radiates the reflected pink off the sunlit parasol, as does her dress. This serene work was painted in 1939 just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Munnings contacted ‘Selfridges’ store and asked if they could supply a model in a pink dress to incorporate into his painting Does the Subject Matter.

Patricia Potter was the model for the sitting which took place in Munnings Chelsea studio.

After the painting was completed, Munnings allowed her to keep the dress. She wore it when she visited the Royal Academy accompanying Violet, Lady Munnings to view the work.