Artwork
Cowbridge, Glamorganshire
Cowbridge, Glamorganshire is a watercolor work on paper by H. E. Du Plessis. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Cowbridge, Glamorganshire is a watercolour painting created in 1940 as part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative to document British life and landscapes.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Cowbridge High Street, focusing on the Town Hall and its clock-turret. It captures a quiet street scene with simple buildings, a few people, and a sign featuring a bird, conveying a sense of everyday life in a Welsh market town.
Technique & Style
The artist employed loose, quick brushstrokes, leaving some areas slightly blurred, to achieve a fresh and light effect. The watercolour's spontaneity suggests it was executed in a single sitting.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime, funded by the Pilgrim Trust, and directed by Sir Kenneth Clark, the Recording Britain project brought together 97 artists to produce over 1,500 works.
Context
The project aimed to preserve cultural landscapes and artistic practice during World War II, focusing on traditional settings that reflected national identity.
Artist & collection
Artist
A South Wales watercolor artist active around 1940, H. E. Du Plessis painted the everyday buildings and lanes of Glamorganshire. Brush in hand, he recorded places like the low stone Jesus Hospital in Bray and the…
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