Publications
Ravilious in Pictures, 1: Sussex and the Downs, by James Russell, published 1 December 2009 (48 pp., The Mainstone Press, ISBN-10: 0955277736 & ISBN-13: 9780955277733) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:First in a series of books celebrating the watercolours and landscapes of Eric Ravilious. Each painting is accompanied by an essay in which author James Russell explores the intriguing stories hidden behind the scenes, painting a captivating picture of this popular British artist.
Ravilious in Pictures, 2: The War Paintings, by James Russell and edited by Tim Mainstone, published 11 November 2010 (48 pp., The Mainstone Press, ISBN-10: 0955277744 & ISBN-13: 9780955277740) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Ravilious in Pictures: The War Paintings' celebrates and commemorates the wartime career of Eric Ravilious (1939-42), who died on active service in Iceland at the age of thirty-nine.
As an Official War Artist, Ravilious visited ports, naval bases and airfields around Britain, witnessed the Allied invasion and retreat from Norway and produced watercolours and lithographs of subjects ranging from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in action to the interior of a mobile pigeon loft. This remarkable body of work blends defiance with exhilaration and insists that there is a place for beauty in the darkest times.
Ravilious in Pictures: The War Paintings, features twenty-two of these fascinating images, each accompanied by a short essay in which author James Russell explores the historical context of the work. Drawing on the artist's correspondence and other contemporary sources, these essays offer an unusual, intriguing vision of life during the early years of the war.
As an Official War Artist, Ravilious visited ports, naval bases and airfields around Britain, witnessed the Allied invasion and retreat from Norway and produced watercolours and lithographs of subjects ranging from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in action to the interior of a mobile pigeon loft. This remarkable body of work blends defiance with exhilaration and insists that there is a place for beauty in the darkest times.
Ravilious in Pictures: The War Paintings, features twenty-two of these fascinating images, each accompanied by a short essay in which author James Russell explores the historical context of the work. Drawing on the artist's correspondence and other contemporary sources, these essays offer an unusual, intriguing vision of life during the early years of the war.
Ravilious in Pictures, 3: Country Life, by James Russell and edited by Tim Mainstone, published 1 April 2011 (48 pp., The Mainstone Press, ISBN-10: 0955277760 & ISBN-13: 9780955277764) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Ravilious in Pictures, 4: A Travelling Artist, by James Russell and edited by Tim Mainstone, published 27 February 2012 (48 pp., The Mainstone Press, ISBN-10: 0955277787 & ISBN-13: 9780955277788) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Ravilious in Pictures: A Travelling Artist is the fourth in a series of books celebrating the life and work of Eric Ravilious (1903-42). This volume features twenty-two pictures, each of which is both an exquisite painting in its own right and part of something bigger: the artist's idiosyncratic study of Britain in the 1930s.
Although Ravilious often completed paintings in his studio, with the help of pencilled notes, his pictures invariably began as a sketch of a real place, at a particular time of day - often dawn, or soon after - and in whatever weather conditions the moment offered. The quest for new subjects took Ravilious around Britain and beyond, on a decade-long journey of discovery that was interrupted only by his death on active service as a war artist. Inspired by places as diverse as Dungeness in Kent and the Welsh valley of Capel-y-ffin, Ravilious also sought out unusual subjects, like the Greenwich Observatory, and strange perspectives, such as the view from inside the Belle Tout lighthouse.
Following his habit of painting in series he drew the ports of Bristol and Rye, Newhaven and Le Havre; he painted lifeboats and pilot boats and the picturesque interiors of dockside inns. Each painting depicts a particular aspect of a fascinating place and each is accompanied by a concise essay which explores the location further, introducing characters and stories hidden behind the scenes. Taken as a whole, the twenty-two watercolours in this volume provide a uniquely compelling portrait of Britain in the years before World War II.
Ravilious in Pictures: A Travelling Artist is a companion to Sussex and the Downs (2009), The War Paintings (2010) and A Country Life (2011). Together, the books form an intimate portrait of the artist and his world - a life in pictures.
Although Ravilious often completed paintings in his studio, with the help of pencilled notes, his pictures invariably began as a sketch of a real place, at a particular time of day - often dawn, or soon after - and in whatever weather conditions the moment offered. The quest for new subjects took Ravilious around Britain and beyond, on a decade-long journey of discovery that was interrupted only by his death on active service as a war artist. Inspired by places as diverse as Dungeness in Kent and the Welsh valley of Capel-y-ffin, Ravilious also sought out unusual subjects, like the Greenwich Observatory, and strange perspectives, such as the view from inside the Belle Tout lighthouse.
Following his habit of painting in series he drew the ports of Bristol and Rye, Newhaven and Le Havre; he painted lifeboats and pilot boats and the picturesque interiors of dockside inns. Each painting depicts a particular aspect of a fascinating place and each is accompanied by a concise essay which explores the location further, introducing characters and stories hidden behind the scenes. Taken as a whole, the twenty-two watercolours in this volume provide a uniquely compelling portrait of Britain in the years before World War II.
Ravilious in Pictures: A Travelling Artist is a companion to Sussex and the Downs (2009), The War Paintings (2010) and A Country Life (2011). Together, the books form an intimate portrait of the artist and his world - a life in pictures.
Ravilious, by James Russell, published 28 April 2015 (192 pp., Philip Wilson Publishers, ISBN-10: 1781300321 & ISBN-13: 9781781300329) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:This beautifully illustrated book is the first full-length critical study to focus on the watercolours of multitalented British artist and designer Eric Ravilious (1903-1942). An introductory section offers an intimate portrait of Ravilious, an artist for whom personal relationships, particularly with women, were paramount. It goes on to describe the extraordinary achievements of an all-too-brief career, drawing on new research to seek out artistic influences and examine Ravilious's relationships with fellow-artists, as well as the development of his mark making.There follows the most comprehensive display of Ravilious watercolours yet assembled. Some have never been published, while others are familiar and well loved. Many are explored in short accompanying essays, some with full-bleed images that show details of paintings at full size. This is the definitive guide to the luminous, evocative and timeless watercolours of Eric Ravilious, an artist now regarded as one of the finest of the twentieth century.