Coastal Defences

Artist Eric Ravilious (London, England, 1903 - 1942)

Date1940

Mediumpencil pen ink and watercolour on paper

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsSight Size: Height: 41.8 cm, Width: 58.1 cm
Frame Size: 56 x 72.4 x 3.5cm

AcquisitionPresented in 1947 by the War Artists' Advisory Committee.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003118

Keywords

About MeIn September 1940 the threat of a Nazi invasion into Britain was real and immediate. In his role as an official War Artist, Ravilious travelled to Newhaven to record the defence of the south coast. He wrote at the time "I am all for tin hats, with Germans just overhead as I work. They fly as they like."

In this work Ravilious - like the enemy aircraft - takes an aerial view of the long pier. The small figures of two soldiers on patrol, coupled with the silent presence of a lone vessel in the water, create an air of tension.
More About Me

Collections Wall

In this work Ravilious depicts a beachfront with the hints of war. The colours are light and calm despite the barbed wire and the patrolling soldiers.

Exhibitions

Paradise Lost