Cathy's Art Diary

Fabulous exhibition at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne looking at the life and work of Eric Ravilious and the group of friends who grew up around him As the title of show suggests this was as much a show about friendship and loyalty as art although there were some fantastic pictures. The first room was a bit confusing as you seemed to be thrown into the middle of a group of people and ideas but it was enticing and got you asking questions which were then answered in subsequent rooms. I loved the section on Ravilious’s student years and the people he met at the Royal College of Art many of whom stayed with him throughout his life like Edward Bawden and Enid Marx. Other characters had fascinating stories such as Percy Horton who married Lydia Smith a suffrage who had been the fiancé of his best friend and fellow conscientious objector who died in prison. There was a charming section on life in a shared house in London with lovely portraits of many of the characters by P...

Delightful exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery looking at the work of Eric Ravilious. The show was divided into the subject matter of the pictures starting with machinery but also looking at landscape, interiors and seascapes. I do love and know Ravilious's work well so I’m not sure I learnt a lot from the show but there were some lovely works and it’s always good to revisit them. Favourite pieces included a picture of a farmhouse bedroom that was Van Gogh meets Vuillard, full of pattern and yet a picture of ordinary objects. Also a lovely picture of Edward Bawden working in his studio from 1930. I liked the fact it didn’t concentrate on the war pictures as a separate subject but wove them into the other subjects. I loved the first picture in his series of submarine lithographs which included his own hand drawing a picture. Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph