Artwork
Drawing for Chapter 6 of Ezra from the Old Testament
Drawing for Chapter 6 of Ezra from the Old Testament is a drawing by Cecil Collins. It dates from 1968 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
In the 1930s he saw work by Picasso and Klee, and in 1936 he joined the International Surrealist Exhibition in London.
This drawing is one of twelve illustrations Collins made for the Oxford edition of Ezra from the Old Testament. It’s a pencil work from 1968, kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Collins studied at Plymouth School of Art and later the Royal College of Art in London. In the 1930s he saw work by Picasso and Klee, and in 1936 he joined the International Surrealist Exhibition in London.
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Overview
This 1968 pencil drawing by Cecil Collins was created as one of twelve illustrations for the Oxford illustrated Old Testament. It specifically accompanies Chapter 6 of the Book of Ezra, referencing the biblical account of King Darius's decree to search for records in the house of rolls in Babylon.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a building adorned with Babylonian-style sculpted animals and filled with scrolls, symbolizing the archival repository in Babylon where King Darius ordered a search for decrees related to the Temple in Jerusalem, as described in Ezra 6:1.
Technique & Style
Executed in pencil, the work reflects Collins's later style, which, though initially influenced by Surrealism (via Picasso and Klee in the 1930s), evolved towards a more mystical and visionary approach, akin to Samuel Palmer and Odilon Redon, yet here applied in a more restrained, illustrative context.
History & Provenance
Created in 1968 for the Oxford illustrated Old Testament, this drawing is part of a larger project featuring twenty-two contemporary British artists. It is currently held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
Collins's contribution to the Oxford illustrated Old Testament situates his work within a broader mid-20th-century British artistic project, alongside notable figures like David Hockney and Peter Blake, blending modern artistic interpretation with ancient religious texts.
Legacy
As part of the illustrated Old Testament, this drawing contributes to Collins's legacy as an artist who successfully merged spiritual themes with contemporary illustration practices, though its impact is more nuanced compared to his non-illustrative, more spiritually focused works.
Artist & collection
Artist
James Henry Cecil Collins MBE was an English painter and printmaker, originally associated with the Surrealist movement.
