James Russell: May 2020

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

Eric Ravilious: Newt Pond

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In the papers this weekend... Eric Ravilious, ‘Newt Pond’ 1932 - I wrote a note on this watercolour for @christiesinc: This beautifully preserved watercolour was one of those shown by Eric Ravilious in November 1933, in his inaugural one-man exhibition at the Zwemmer Gallery on Charing Cross Road, London. Listed as number eight in the catalogue, it is dated ‘June 32’, making it one of the earliest works in the show. At the time Ravilious was working feverishly alongside his friend and fellow artist Edward Bawden, as the pair strove to fulfil their shared ambition of reinventing the English watercolour tradition. When not teaching in London they retreated with their wives, Tirzah and Charlotte, to the Bawdens’ house in Great Bardfield, Essex. This was a particularly happy time for the two couples, as - so far unencumbered by children - they enjoyed the space and freedom of country living. Ravilious wrote very few letters, suggesting that his attention was focused fully on the here and now, and in particular on the tricky business of painting watercolours. That he experimented widely is clear from the pictures displayed at Zwemmer, which vary in technique from subtle tinted drawings to works painted freely in a bold palette, and in subject from sunlit landscapes to abandoned vehicles. Here we see the distinctive half-hipped barn which stands beside the orchard at Beslyns, a secluded, picturesque settlement close to Great Bardfield where Bawden also liked to work. Ravilious has taken the scene before him and reconfigured it to create a witty design that balances reality and reflection, with a tall tree on the left creating a good vertical anchor and foliage represented in a variety of ways. Particularly delightful are the billows of young leaves bursting from the branches of apple trees. Like the garden trees in Prospect from an Attic (Scarborough Museums Trust), an important work from the same year, these are so full of life they seem to be dancing. Happy days, indeed. . #ericravilious #ravilious #edwardbawden #greatbardfield #essex #pond #newtpond #art #watercolor #watercolour #modernbritishart #countryside #1930s

A post shared by James Russell (@jamesrussell66) on May 25, 2020 at 3:16am PDT

Thursday, 21 May 2020

Easy Listening! Dear Old Thomas and Lucky Paul

James Russell · Paul Nash & Edward Thomas: Dear Old Thomas and Lucky Paul

I know we're not supposed to be thinking about World War One any more but I've never been very good at doing things at the right time... Actually I wrote a version of this podcast a few years ago as the first chapter of a proposed book. No, the book never did get written, but it's been fun revisiting this story... Happy listening!

Paul Nash, The Peacock Path, 1912

John Wheatley, Edward Thomas, 1916

The Artists' Rifles, feat. Frederick Leighton

Paul Nash, Lavengro & Isopel in the Dingle, 1912

William Blake Richmond

Grave of Paul and Margaret Nash, Langley, Bucks

Iver Heath

Boat-gate, Iver Heath

Paul Nash looking spruce, c1918

Paul Nash, Ruined Landscape, Old Battlefield, Vimy, 1917

Margaret Nash, nee Odeh

Passchendaele

The Common, Chalfont St Peter

premises of Mrs Grieve, herbalist

Paul Nash, We are Making a New World, 1918

John Nash, The Cornfield, 1918

Monday, 4 May 2020

Easy Listening! Peggy Angus: Mother of Invention

James Russell · Peggy Angus: Mother of Invention

We all need to be a bit flexible in our thinking these days, as we try to figure out what to do and how to get paid for it. Among a host of other subjects, Peggy Angus thought about patronage a lot during her long and productive life. She had some interesting ideas, and she put them into practice. I hope you enjoy listening, and I've attached a few accompanying images below...