Road by an Airfield

Details

Eric Ravilious (1903-1943)
Road by an Airfield
pencil and watercolour
18¼ x 22¼ in. (46.3 x 56.5 cm.)
Executed circa 1942.

Provenance

Purchased by the present owner's parents in the 1960s.

Literature

A. Ullmann, Ravilious at War: the complete work of Eric Ravilious, September 1939 - September 1942, Upper Denby, 2002, p. 230, illustrated.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Ravilious received his commission as an Official War Artist at the outbreak of the Second World War. His third posting which commenced in February 1942 was to the Vale of York to work with aircraft. He found the planes inspiring, intrigued by their seemingly fragile appearance. The present work, with the aircraft outlined simply in pencil, emphasises their vulnerability. Tragically the artist was lost in an air-sea rescue mission off the coast of Iceland from which he failed to return.

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