Artwork
The Vicarage, Braughing
The Vicarage, Braughing is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Hawkins. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The Vicarage, Braughing is a 1940 watercolour by Hawkins, capturing a serene rural scene in Hertfordshire. The composition features a distant vicarage, set amidst bare trees, a winding path, and varied foliage, all under a soft overcast sky.
Subject & Meaning
The piece documents the Vicarage at Braughing, emphasizing its quiet, everyday existence. Created during WWII as part of the Recording Britain project, it reflects wartime concerns over the preservation of rural Britain and national identity.
Technique & Style
Hawkins employed loose, quick brushstrokes to maintain a natural, unpolished feel. The off-center placement of the vicarage, behind a fence and bushes, adds to the scene's informal, observed quality.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Recording Britain project (1939-1946), led by Sir Kenneth Clark and funded by the Pilgrim Trust, this work is one of over 1,500 documenting the British landscape during WWII.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (8 February 1807 – 27 January 1894) was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park in south London.
