As prime minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Churchill helped Allied Forces win World War II. When he wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 making history, Churchill made art, 500-plus paintings that led the Royal Academy of Arts to name him an Honorary Academician Extraordinary in 1948.
Of Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚 canvasses, the London daily newspaper 小蝌蚪APP淭he Telegraph小蝌蚪APP in 2014 wrote that 小蝌蚪APP渢he great statesman was a sensitive, serious and accomplished artist小蝌蚪APP who 小蝌蚪APP渨ell understood the complexities of form, perspective and composition.小蝌蚪APP
Art lovers 小蝌蚪APP and history and military buffs 小蝌蚪APP can assess a sampling of Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚 paintings for themselves at the Hilliard 小蝌蚪APP Art Museum on the 小蝌蚪APP campus. The 小蝌蚪APP淎rt of Sir Winston Churchill小蝌蚪APP runs through March 21. The exhibit is organized by America小蝌蚪APP檚 National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚 granddaughter, Emma Soames, joined 小蝌蚪APP faculty members, historians and art experts who ushered in the recent opening of the exhibit during 小蝌蚪APP淐hurchill in Conflict and Culture: A Symposium.小蝌蚪APP The Jan. 17 event at the LITE Center on the UL Lafayette campus was organized by the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had wrongly assumed that in popular culture the memory of Churchill and his works would be fading by now, more than 50 years after his death,小蝌蚪APP Soames said during the symposium. 小蝌蚪APP淪o, it is wonderful that there is still such a desire to小蝌蚪APPind that Hollywood and historians continue to burrow into the many extraordinary aspects of his life.小蝌蚪APP
One of those extraordinary aspects 小蝌蚪APP Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚 painting 小蝌蚪APP is often overlooked, a footnote to an extraordinary life, Tim Riley, director and chief curator of the National Churchill Museum at Westminster College, told symposium attendees.
小蝌蚪APP淲inston Churchill is well-known as a statesman, a leader, a military commander, a soldier. He小蝌蚪APP檚 not always known as an artist小蝌蚪APPut an exhibition like this one allows us to take a deep dive into this lesser known part of a well-known man.小蝌蚪APP
Painting provided a respite from the burdens of office for Churchill throughout his long public service career. Dr. Keith Huxen, senior director of research and history at the National WWII Museum, said during the symposium that Churchill once told a friend: 小蝌蚪APP淚f it weren小蝌蚪APP檛 for painting, I couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 live. I couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 bear the strain of things.小蝌蚪APP
Churchill 小蝌蚪APP who according to many biographies and accounts told boyhood classmate Sir Muirland Evans in 1891 that he would one day be a military commander and save England from disaster 小蝌蚪APP couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 entirely forget about the battlefield, however, even standing at an easel.
Case in point: Dr. Allison Leigh, an assistant professor of art history at UL Lafayette, referenced Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚 1921 essay 小蝌蚪APP淧ainting as a Pastime小蝌蚪APP during the symposium. She said that 小蝌蚪APP渙ne of the first things that struck me in the text was (Churchill小蝌蚪APP檚) declaration that 小蝌蚪APP榩ainting a picture is like fighting a battle.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Churchill further wrote: 小蝌蚪APP淚n all battles, two things are usually required of the commander in chief. To make a good plan for his army, and secondly, to keep a strong reserve. Both these are also obligatory upon the painter.小蝌蚪APP
Save for a cannon on a beach here, or a battleship there, Churchill largely avoided depicting the ugliness of war. Most of his work featured landscapes or seascapes, although he did some interior scenes and portraits. The artist, who favored bright, vivid colors, was influenced by Impressionists such as Monet.
Soames, however, said her grandfather drew the greatest inspiration from Chartwell, his home of almost 40 years in the countryside of Kent, near London. He spent leisure time, especially in his later years, painting on the bucolic grounds and in his studio at the sprawling estate.
小蝌蚪APP淐hartwell was captured by his brush in all seasons and in all its moods. Above all it was the view from Chartwell that I think inspired so much of what he did. He used to sit for hours as an old man as I remember him in his Stetson hat with cigar in hand looking out across the Weald of Kent,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Learn more about the
Image credit: Sir Winston S. Churchill. Boats at Cannes Harbor, 1937. Oil on canvas. America小蝌蚪APP檚 National Churchill Museum. Gift of the New York State Chapter of the Friends of America小蝌蚪APP檚 National Churchill Museum. 漏 Churchill Heritage Ltd