Wood-engraver, painter, illustrator, designer, war artist: Ravilious’s short life (1903-1942) and work, seems to encapsulate a social history of England in the early 20th century; from this student days at the Royal College of Art in London to his final post as a war artist during the Second World War. So often in this fabulous little film of his life (linked below), the work he was commissioned to create gives a snapshot of the turning points of British history – hastily having to redesign the memorabilia for the coronation after the abdication crisis, or his work for the London Transport System detailed in a book entitled ‘Away We Go!’
And yet, his work also stands testament to something more permanent. England (particularly the South Downs) in all its timeless beauty and strangeness. As his granddaughter notes, he could capture the British weather (unchangeable in its changeability) in all its varying moods. No one could capture an English sky like he could – neither one thing nor the other – the ever-present chance of rain…
Watching the video produced by the V&A, I love to see his granddaughter’s loving reverence for her grandfather’s work. Her intimate knowledge of his life leads us into the pictures, as the path in the woodcut I have chosen as my title image dares us to do. I have always thought his work has a touch of magic, but watching this little film opened up his working process, from his earliest inspirations in his scrapbooks, giving a glimpse into his creative process, without ever detracting from that magic.
She has such an obvious pride for his legacy – and so she should!
