Artwork
Entrance screen, Tyringham
Entrance screen, Tyringham is a watercolor work on paper by John Egerton Christmas Piper. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Entrance screen, Tyringham is a 1940 watercolour by John Piper, depicting an arched stone entrance in Buckinghamshire, created under the Recording Britain project.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a weathered, arched stone gate at Tyringham, set between crumbling walls with leafless trees against a cloudy sky, conveying a sense of age and vulnerability.
Technique & Style
Piper employed quick, sketchy brushstrokes, particularly in the sky and trees, and contrasted light and dark tones on the gate, resulting in a rough, unfinished appearance.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Recording Britain project (1940-1943), funded by the Pilgrim Trust and directed by Sir Kenneth Clark, this piece is one of 1,500 works by 97 artists documenting Britain’s at-risk landscape and architecture.
Context
Created during WWII, the painting reflects the project’s aim to preserve a record of Britain’s heritage threatened by war and modernization.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Egerton Christmas Piper CH was an English painter, printmaker and designer of stained-glass windows and both opera and theatre sets.
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