Artwork
House and Shop in Pool Valley, Brighton
House and Shop in Pool Valley, Brighton is a watercolor work on paper by the British Romanticist artist Charles Knight. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
House and Shop in Pool Valley, Brighton is a 1940 watercolour painting by Charles Knight, created as part of the Recording Britain project.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a street scene in Brighton, focusing on a three-story house and shop with a black brick facade, surrounded by buildings of varied brickwork, under a soft blue sky. A walking figure adds a sense of life to the tranquil scene.
Technique & Style
Knight's use of watercolour achieves a delicate, dreamy quality, capturing the charm of the scene with subtle colour and gentle texture.
History & Provenance
The work was commissioned under a Ministry of Labour scheme funded by the Pilgrim Trust, aiming to document British life and landscape during World War II, as part of a collection of over 1,500 works by 97 artists.
Context
The Recording Britain project sought to preserve a visual record of places and buildings perceived as threatened by war damage or urban change, while sustaining traditional art forms during wartime.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Knight was a British landscape painter and stained-glass artist, best remembered for his watercolour paintings of the landscapes of Sussex.
The Southdown, Underhill Road: Westwards from Poynings
Regency Brighton: Houses in Russell Square, Sussex
Fields and Woods South of Ditchling
The County Hall and High Street, Lewes
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Wickhurst Barn near Poynings looking Westwards
Hangleton Manor, near Brighton
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Ditchling Beacon, from the Meadows near Westmeston
Anne of Cleves' House (North Elevation), Ditchling, Sussex
Houses and Yard
Tudor Houses, Church Street, Whitby
Condemned Property at Isleworth
Nevilles Court
Georgian Houses, Market Hill, Buckingham
The Flying Horse, Hackney
The Deanery, Lich Street, Worcester
Admiral's House, Hampstead
Regency Brighton; houses on Marine Parade and Sussex Square
3 - 12, Charles Street, off Brighton Front
The Watch House, Strand Lane, W.C.2.
Barber's Piles, Poole