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拍品專文
In 1939, with the outbreak of the Second World War, Kenneth Clark recruited John Piper to join the War Artists scheme, enlisting the artist to depict the bomb damage of British cities. Piper was also involved in the 'Recording Britain' project, a scheme organized by Clark and the Pilgrim Trust to preserve a record of buildings which could be destroyed in the war. Piper travelled across the country documenting the beauty of British architecture, finding a particular resonance with Yorkshire and the churches and abbeys he visited as a child. The present lot captures St Giles Church, a thirteenth century grade I listed building in the village of Skelton, North Yorkshire. Built in 1247 it is believed to have been crafted by masons who helped construct York Minster, created from left-over stones of the South Transept of York Minster.
Skelton Church, Yorkshire, 1948, is a prime example of the artist's famous architectural paintings, the late 1940s being a period which Anthony West marks as his most productive years (A. West, John Piper, London, 1979, p. 128). Piper is celebrated not only for painting some of Britain's best buildings but for capturing their historical and individual characteristics. Piper's aesthetic is often abstracted, so that his recording is not a straight-forward rendition but is more an expression of how a British citizen would feel seeing the destruction. Piper depicted the horrors of war at home painting a picture of life during conflict. Famously fond of ruined and decaying buildings, Piper found the spectacle of destruction suited his Romantic sensibilities and appealed to the notion of the transience of human existence, a truth felt no more potently than in war time. Piper often exaggerated the colour, using a rich palette of warm red tones, alongside cool blue, green hues and jet black, as seen in the present lot, to enhance the shadowy, craggy aspects of the building and to create a haunting and powerful aesthetic. Piper also creates a sense of heightened drama, darkening the sky, to enhance the character of the building and create a foreboding ambience.
Depicting St Giles church standing alone, surrounded by overgrown greenery, Piper conveyed a sense of isolation, capturing the mood in Britain at that time. Geographically cut off from the rest of Europe and suffering their own private losses and sense of terror, Piper succeeded in capturing the spirit of the time. This sense of alienation is felt no more fervently than in his images of churches, their windows often painted black or boarded up, like sightless eyes. D.F. Jenkins states that these blackened windows are a potent symbol of the period, an expression synonymous with the feelings of defencelessness and threat (D.F. Jenkins, John Piper The Forties, London, 2000, p. 20). Jenkins sees that Piper's unique vision marks him as one of the most important artists of the day, he states, 'More powerfully than any other artist, at least since Turner and Cotman, he possessed a personal vision of architecture that transformed what he saw. He sought out provincial buildings of extraordinary character, and represented them by his own means of pictorial design, colouring, illumination and texture, turning them into reflections of a unique personal attitude' (D.F. Jenkins, John Piper The Forties, London, 2000, p. 8).
We are very grateful to Rev. Dr. Stephen Laird for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
Skelton Church, Yorkshire, 1948, is a prime example of the artist's famous architectural paintings, the late 1940s being a period which Anthony West marks as his most productive years (A. West, John Piper, London, 1979, p. 128). Piper is celebrated not only for painting some of Britain's best buildings but for capturing their historical and individual characteristics. Piper's aesthetic is often abstracted, so that his recording is not a straight-forward rendition but is more an expression of how a British citizen would feel seeing the destruction. Piper depicted the horrors of war at home painting a picture of life during conflict. Famously fond of ruined and decaying buildings, Piper found the spectacle of destruction suited his Romantic sensibilities and appealed to the notion of the transience of human existence, a truth felt no more potently than in war time. Piper often exaggerated the colour, using a rich palette of warm red tones, alongside cool blue, green hues and jet black, as seen in the present lot, to enhance the shadowy, craggy aspects of the building and to create a haunting and powerful aesthetic. Piper also creates a sense of heightened drama, darkening the sky, to enhance the character of the building and create a foreboding ambience.
Depicting St Giles church standing alone, surrounded by overgrown greenery, Piper conveyed a sense of isolation, capturing the mood in Britain at that time. Geographically cut off from the rest of Europe and suffering their own private losses and sense of terror, Piper succeeded in capturing the spirit of the time. This sense of alienation is felt no more fervently than in his images of churches, their windows often painted black or boarded up, like sightless eyes. D.F. Jenkins states that these blackened windows are a potent symbol of the period, an expression synonymous with the feelings of defencelessness and threat (D.F. Jenkins, John Piper The Forties, London, 2000, p. 20). Jenkins sees that Piper's unique vision marks him as one of the most important artists of the day, he states, 'More powerfully than any other artist, at least since Turner and Cotman, he possessed a personal vision of architecture that transformed what he saw. He sought out provincial buildings of extraordinary character, and represented them by his own means of pictorial design, colouring, illumination and texture, turning them into reflections of a unique personal attitude' (D.F. Jenkins, John Piper The Forties, London, 2000, p. 8).
We are very grateful to Rev. Dr. Stephen Laird for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.