Artwork
St. Peter's Church School, Eaton Square, S.W.1.
St. Peter's Church School, Eaton Square, S.W.1. is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Ediss. It dates from 1941 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. St.
About this work
Overview
St. Peter's Church School, Eaton Square, S.W.1. is a watercolour painting created in 1941 as part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative to document Britain's landscape and architecture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts St. Peter's Church School in Eaton Square, showing a church with a tall steeple and a nearby pale yellow building, both covered in snow, capturing a serene winter scene.
Technique & Style
The artist employed loose, quick brushstrokes and soft, muted colors to convey the scene, achieving a sense of lightness and delicacy, particularly in the depiction of snow.
History & Provenance
The work was produced under the Recording Britain project, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark, aiming to preserve a visual record of Britain's national identity during the early 1940s.
Context
The project was a response to the perceived threats to Britain's landscape and architecture from war damage and urban development, resulting in a collection of over 1,500 works by 97 artists.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ediss painted London’s quiet streets and squares in delicate watercolours during the early 1940s.
High Street and Rutland Arms, Newmarket
Rural District Council Office and Shops, High Street, Malmesbury
Sheet Street, Windsor
The Wheatsheaf Inn and Cottages, Newport Road, Swindon
Winter at Isleworth
Demolition at Chester 1942
Deansgate, Blackpool
Market Place, Poulton-le-fylde, near Blackpool
Georgian Houses, Castle Street, Bridgwater
18th Century Houses, South Quay, Yarmouth