Artwork

The Southdown, Underhill Road; Wickhurst Barn near Poynings looking Westwards

Charles Knight , 1940

The Southdown, Underhill Road; Wickhurst Barn near Poynings looking Westwards 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; Wickhurst Barn near Poynings looking Westwards is a 1940 watercolour by Charles Knight, created as part of the Recording Britain project.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a serene rural scene in southern England, featuring a barn, trees, and rolling hills. The earthy colour palette conveys a sense of calm and tranquility, capturing a moment in the landscape's history.

Technique & Style

Knight employed delicate, light brushstrokes to evoke a sense of light and shadow, eschewing heavy detail for a simple yet evocative representation of the scene. The resulting effect is one of understated serenity.

History & Provenance

The work was commissioned under the Recording Britain initiative, a project led by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime, directed by Sir Kenneth Clark and funded by the Pilgrim Trust.

Context

The Recording Britain project aimed to document Britain's landscapes and architecture during a period of wartime destruction and modernization, resulting in over 1,500 works by 97 artists.