Artwork
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Westwards towards Clayton
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Westwards towards Clayton 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
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Westwards towards Clayton is a 1940 watercolour by Charles Knight, created as part of the Recording Britain project.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene English countryside scene, with a winding road through rolling hills and fields, capturing a moment of tranquility in a specific topographical location.
Technique & Style
Executed in muted earthy tones with touches of blue-gray, the watercolour conveys a sense of gentle light and atmosphere, achieved through careful observation and rendering of the landscape.
History & Provenance
Commissioned under the Recording Britain initiative, led by Sir Kenneth Clark and funded by the Pilgrim Trust, the work aimed to document landscapes and cultural identity threatened by wartime changes.
Context
The artwork reflects the project's goal to preserve a visual record of Britain's vanishing landscapes and support artists 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
House and Shop in Pool Valley, Brighton
The Southdown, Underhill Road; Ditchling Beacon, from the Meadows near Westmeston
