'The superb delicacy of line clearly defined between planes of flat colour, ... is a direct echo of Barna's murals.' and is typical of his work.
(The England of Eric Ravilious - Freda Constable).
Chalk Paths 1935
I find this work beautiful in its calm depiction of the English countryside; the contrasting light of the path, the rather sombre sky, the sense of solitude and the graceful curves. It is typical in that it reflects a colour palette often seen in Ravilious' work and also in that it shows the line work as quoted above.
Ravilious studied design and was taught by Paul Nash who was interested in the then enthusiasm for wood engraving. So Ravilious' output includes many illustrations and design pieces, and it is this training which possibly accounts for his interest and continuing mastery and use of line in his watercolours. In Malcolm Yorke's book 'Edward Bawden and his circle', he says of Ravilious, 'Wood engraving had taught him to value clear boundaries, crisp focus...,variety in mark making, sound design and precise drawing.' He continues that Ravilious was fond of 'sponging, scratching, stippling, cross hatching wax resists or parallel strokes to achieve textures on furrows, ..skies or grass...but never overworked the surface...allowing plenty of white paper to show through'.
In addition, when Ravilious travelled in Italy he was admiring of Barna da Siena's work which makes use of line and flat planes. Even so at first glance I thought I could see the influence of Nash in terms of colour and composition.
Paul Nash
Wood on the Downs -1930
It is possible to see the resemblance in these two works but Constable in her book suggests that Nash kept 'a distance between himself and his subject' whilst Nash was 'more open to the mystical experience' of nature. And it might be credible to argue that Nash would never have produced a work such as 'Strawberry Nets', (1932) which clearly demonstrates the use of line in the nets above the plants and in the outlines of the plants themselves. All done with a fineness and an amazing sense of light coming through from the sky above. There are many works demonstrating Ravilious' use of line as well as his interest in the juxtaposition of the natural world with the man made - as witness above the wire fence. Also his works showing interiors such as 'Farmhouse Bedroom' (1939), and 'Train Landscape' (1939), both of which show the use of pattern often seen in his work and which I feel must have come from his design work.
Strawberry Nets
Train Landscape
Ravilious, as many of his contemporaries, was called to be a war artist and sadly never returned from an expedition. His war work continues to show the use of design and pattern but I find it much darker in its expression and whilst Constable may argue about his objectivity this war work conveys menace to me, and I think, rightly so.
Living in Essex, not far from where Ravilious and Bawden shared accommodation, I know many of the places they used in their paintings and this makes it even more interesting to look at their work, although from more of a social history point of view in this case. The 'Fry Gallery' in Saffron Walden' exhibits works from both these artists and is well worth a visit from anyone liking their work. Neither Ravilious nor Bawden seem to be widely known artists in this country and it's a great shame. I really like the work they produced and can't help wondering whether it's because they studied design rather than Fine Art that they are relatively obscure.
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