This term in Art, we have been learning about the life and work of Paul Nash, an official War Artist in both World Wars I and II.
Paul Nash (11 May 1889 – 11 July 1946) was a British surrealist painter, as well as a photographer, collage artist, writer and designer. He was among the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century. During WW1 and WW2, Paul Nash was commissioned to create paintings and drawings-some which were used on propaganda posters and leaflets and others to represent the catastrophe of war.
We have looked closely at a series of Nash’s most famous World War II paintings:
Bomber in the Corn (1940)
Dead Sea (1940-41)
Battle of Germany (1944)
We talked about the artistic style, techniques and media used in the various paintings, as well as reflecting on the images and the feelings we felt that Paul Nash was trying to invoke with his art. We also imitated his style using sketching pencils and water colours.
Today, inspired by the painting ‘The Battle Of Germany’, we had the chance to innovate Paul Nash’s work, using oil paints to create our own impression of WW2.
Which is your favourite of the three paintings by Paul Nash? Why?
