Remembering Ravilious

During the Second World War, the War Artists Advisory Committee in the U.K hired 300 artists to cover the conflict. On this date in 1942, a plane on a mission off the coast of Iceland crashed into the sea, killing its pilot and 39-year-old passenger, artist Eric Ravilious.  He was the first official war artist to die in active service. I fell in love with Ravilious's work the first time I saw it. He was an illustrator, painter, printmaker and designer of commercial images like the one on this mug. 

This is one of a pair of large cups I have that were produced by Wedgewood to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth the 2nd, the current Queen. Ravilious originally designed this one for her father's coronation and it was reissued in this colorway for Elizabeth. 

I'm not usually a fan of pink and yellow combinations but I think it works in this design. At this time of year, however, my garden doesn't as offer quite as many choices for pink and yellow blooms as it does in the spring. Still I found more than I expected. 

The provenance of the cup is printed on the bottom. 

The two books pictured are "Bawden, Ravilious and the Artists of Great Bardfield," edited by Gill Saunders and Malcom Yorke and "Long Live Great Bardfield: An Autobiography" by Tirzah Garwood, the wife of Eric Ravlious.

The first is a big, illustrated history of the group of artists who lived and worked Great Bardfield in England and the second is one of many superb books by the great Persephone Press in Bath, England. I am a huge fan of their books and have quite a long shelf full of them. In fact, they are listed as their own category on this blog!

Comments

[Kris P]

A perfect pairing, Linda! And a nice way to recognize an admired artist.

[Susan Adler Sobol]

Hi Linda! A million years ago (only a slight exaggeration), Courtney Barnes mentioned Ravilious in a blog post (Style Court) which you commented on. That's how I discovered you! You told me you were writing your own post on Ravilious and asked if I would be the first person to comment on "Each Little World". I'm envious of your coronation mugs - his pieces have become unaffordable. My first introduction to him was sighting a plate in the window of an antique shop in London - I was intrigued by the subject - an airplane! (from his "Travel" series for Wedgewood). His prints are especially wonderful.
best, Susan

[Barbara H.]

This is a lovely tribute and you found a nice combination of flowers to fill your "vase".

[hb]

That's a beautiful mug. Great art endures.

There are "warm" pinks (towards red side of color wheel) and cool pinks (towards blue side). Sometimes even those two pinks don't look right together.

Pink with yellow is often tricky, too, yet Nature does it beautifully--the 'Peace' rose, for example. As does your arrangement and the mug!