spencer painted naked portraits of preece in 1935 and 1936 and, also in 1936, a double nude portrait of himself and preece, "self-portrait with patricia preece", now in the fitzwilliam museum. this was followed, in 1937, by "double nude portrait: the artist and his second wife", known as the "leg of mutton nude", a painting never publicly exhibited during spencer's lifetime. in a futile attempt to be reconciled with carline, spencer went to stay with her in hampstead for ten days. her rejection of this approach is the basis of "hilda, unity and dolls", which spencer painted during that visit. during the winter of 1937, alone in southwold, suffolk, spencer begin a series of paintings, "the beatitudes of love", about ill-matched couples. these pictures, and others of often radical sexual imagery, were intended for cubicles in the church-house where the visitor could "meditate on the sanctity and beauty of sex". when sir edward marsh, spencer's early patron, was shown these paintings his response was "terrible, terrible stanley!".