Churchill's paintings: a story of beauty

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was not only an outstanding political figure, but also a journalist and writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, but also a gifted self-taught artist. He left behind a huge legacy in this area: more than five hundred works. He worked mainly in the open air, and in the studio he created portraits and immediately began to paint only in oils. Now we will look at some of the paintings of Winston Churchill, whose painting is not only of historical, but also of artistic interest.

Excerpts from the biography of a descendant of the line of the Dukes of Marlborough (a branch of the Spencer family)

He was born before his time. The mother at that moment was at the ball and, not having time to get to the room, gave birth to a child in the hallway, littered with women's outerwear. He studied in Brighton, at the school of the Thompson sisters, well, but in behavior he received the lowest marks.

Already being a well-known politician and member of the Cabinet of Ministers, the First Lord of the Admir alty W. Churchill in 1915, trying to hasten the end of the war, conducted an unsuccessful operation in the Dardanelles. The Allied troops were defeated and suffered huge losses. After that, the statesman retired. He settled with his family on the Howe Farm estate. It was a time of deep depression. The Churchill family was visited by the younger brother and his wife, who was fond of watercolor and spent hours in the park. After observing his sister-in-law for some time, Sir Winston took up paint and brush at the age of 40.

Above in the photo is Churchill's painting "House and Garden at Howe Farm". There he enthusiastically painted landscapes and portraits for hours, forgetting about troubles and bitter disappointment. So Churchill came out of depression. Later, returning to politics, he no longer left painting, giving her a lot of time. She, accompanying the rest of his life, brought him peace of mind.

Attitude towards painting

All friends and family admired the unexpectedly discovered talent. But the artist himself treated drawing simply as a hobby. In 1921, friends persuaded him to send Churchill's paintings to an international exhibition in Paris at the prestigious Drouet Gallery under the pseudonym Charles Morin. Among other works, his self-portrait was exhibited there.

The jury noted the emergence of a new original artist. All of these paintings were successfully sold out. In 1925, an exhibition of non-professional artists took place in London. Churchill's paintings were also featured on it under an assumed name. One of his paintings won first place! Later, in the summer of 1947, being engaged in big politics, an amateurthe artist sent his work under the name David Winter to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and, to his great surprise, two canvases were accepted. One of them, "Winter Sun. Chartull" is still in his house, another, "River Loop. Alpes-Maritimes" is owned by the Tate National Gallery in London. The artist himself, with his usual skepticism, did not take the praises seriously. Churchill easily gave paintings to friends, and now his works at auction are valued at millions of dollars. This is a reassessment of Churchill's true value as an artist.

Serious and smart painter

Although the politician never studied in professional institutions, his friend Sir John Lavery, a famous Irish artist, stood at the origins of his work. He was also greatly influenced by the works of the Impressionists, whom he met in Paris, and his friendship with the great British artist of the 20th century, William Nicholson, was also very important for him, about whom he said that this man taught him painting the most. Churchill's paintings show us a man who saw beauty in the whole world around him. They reveal him as an artist who set himself complex technical challenges. This is no longer an amateur, but a professional. Let's illustrate this with one example: Churchill's painting "Goldfish Pond".

It is dominated by transparent curls of water and a gentle swarm of goldfish. This magnificence is framed by carved leaves of plants on the shore with their reflections carefully written in the water. The artist successfully copes with the construction of composition and perspective, understands and conveys all the complexities of the form of leaves, admires the secrets of light and shadow, enjoys color. Owning green shades is a great challenge, and in this work they are masterfully presented. No wonder all his professional friends were unanimous in admiring his work.

Churchill's art diary

Wherever a politician had to go, and he traveled half the world, everywhere he took with him an easel, canvases, brushes and paints. Therefore, in Churchill's paintings we can now see not only rural views of England, the houses and estates of his relatives and friends, but also the Italian Alps, Egyptian pyramids, views of Morocco, the French Riviera, Miami.

From the point of view of composition, the work “Hippodrome in Nice. View from under the railway bridge. Its arched semi-circular ceiling gives the painting an atmosphere of the Italian Renaissance. The sky with the lightest clouds is reflected in the blue of the clear water, the banks of which are strewn with small pebbles. In the distance, the hippodrome building shines in the haze of a hot day on the golden coast, which is located on the line of the golden section, and therefore blends very harmoniously into the landscape.

Love life

All Churchill's paintings show his love of life. Almost all of his works are dominated by light, warm colors. They carry a good perception of the world by the artist, which is transmitted to his viewer.

Sir Winston, likemany Englishmen were very fond of animals. Among his pets were the cat Nelson, the poodle first Rufus I, then Rufus II, Toby the budgerigar. He affectionately treated the sheep, which he captured on the canvas “Chartwell. Landscape with sheep”, and pigs, about which he said that they look at us as equals. At times he was attacked by an irresistible longing. She was caused not only by overload, but also by the international situation.

Overcoming the complexity of being

Even before the Second World War, Churchill painted in 1938 the painting "The Beach at Valmer". This scene was a response to the treacherous policy of handing over part of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis. Churchill's hands were tied. He was removed from active work in the government. Therefore, on the one hand, a peaceful serene scene was written, where a family plays on a golden beach, but a huge cannon from the continent is pointed at Britain.

During the war with Hitler, Churchill's "black dog" appeared. Is this a picture? No, this metaphor means black depression, symbolizes melancholy, illness, darkness and the dog because of its close connection with man. The black dog was with him everywhere, sitting on his lap. It was the heaviness and tension that accompanied the leadership of the country in the midst of the war. Anticipating the sinister goals of the Nazis, in June 1940 Churchill spoke in the House of Commons something like this: "If we fail, then the whole world will plunge into the abyss of the dark age." Overcoming his pessimism, using all his potential and his strengths, Churchill coped with the black dog.

Afterwars

Churchill was again removed from big politics. He came to the USA, where he painted landscapes and presented them to H. Truman and F. Roosevelt. In America, a very warm and cheerful landscape "Valley of Oriki and the Atlas Mountains" was painted. Later, his he alth began to fail, and Churchill retired, but continued to paint. He died at the age of 91 after suffering another stroke at his London home in 1965.