RAINBOW AND CAMOUFLAGED SHIP 1942
Eric Ravilious (1903 – 1942)
Details
- Dimension
- 49.5 X 53.3 CM
- Media
- WATERCOLOUR AND PENCIL ON PAPER
- Accession number
- P158
Summary
Ravilious (1903–1943) was born in Eastbourne and studied at the Royal College of Art. A prolific artist and designer, his work ranges from watercolours (for which he is best known), to murals, engravings and designs for Wedgwood ceramics. To all his work he brought a combination of wry innocence and sophistication. In 1940 he was commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee and attached to the Royal Marines; he produced an outstanding body of work from then until his death three years later in air-sea rescue mission off the coast of Iceland. Due to wartime security the exact location his works were rarely given. Rainbow with Camouflaged Shipshows a destroyer, decorated with dazzle camouflage, at anchor in a naval harbour; writing to a friend he describes completing the work back home in Essex ‘with the help of an Ironbridge sky and some sea out of my head’.
My Yard, British Council 2009
This work was presented to the Collection by the War Artists' Advisory Committee.
Glossary
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Ceramics
Clay based products produced from non-metallic material and fired at high temperature. The term covers all objects made of fired clay, including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terra cotta.