Artwork
Columbarian, South Stoke
Columbarian, South Stoke is a watercolor work on paper by Hardie. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Columbarian, South Stoke is a 1940 watercolour painting created as part of the Recording Britain collection, a project documenting British life and landscapes under threat from wartime and modernization.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a rural scene with a timber-framed house, trees, and fields, featuring a body of water in the foreground that reflects the sky. The serene atmosphere captures the tranquility of the countryside.
Technique & Style
The watercolour is characterized by soft, muted colours and gentle brushstrokes, creating a dreamy quality. The artist's use of chiaroscuro adds depth and volume to the scene.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Recording Britain project, initiated by Sir Kenneth Clark and funded by the Pilgrim Trust, the painting reflects the effort to preserve traditional British scenery and architecture during a period of rapid change.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hardie painted watercolours of quiet corners in 1930s and 1940s England, usually coastal or village scenes with buildings and daily life.
The Old Church (now a barn), Leonard Stanley
Oast House, Littlebourne
Tithe Barn and Dove House, Hurley
Farmhouse behind Trees
Saxon Dovecote, Lullington, near Alfriston, Cuckmere Valley
The Maltings, Saffron Walden
Old Cottage, Ibthorpe
View of a water-mill near Ridware
Watercolour drawing by the Grieve family, showing a workman's hut at Garlinge, Kent
Landscape with Farm and Fields in Flat Country
Thatched Cottage near a Pond
Kilns and Maltings on the Canal Bank, Bishop's Stortford