1943 Exhibition of British war pictures exhibition

Two intensely forceful and dramatic pictures of the war in the air have a place in this exhibition—" Air Gunner" by Keith Henderson, and "Stalking the Night Raider", by Roy Nockolds, to my mind are two of the most memorable pictures in the collection. How well we know those raiders' nights, with the moon behind a fleecy cloud, a few searchlights pencilling the dark sky, and, high above, the powerful whine of a night fighter searching for his prey in the ominous and expectant silence which follows the siren's last wail. Mine-sweepers, mine-layers, anti-aircraft defence, tank traps, camouflage, warplanes in the air and on the ground, soldiers at work and at rest, the Navy, at sea and ashore, all have their place among this group of British war pictures. It does not exhaust, neither does it pretend to do so, all the strange and varied angles of this war. No doubt artists are now at work preserving for posterity the heroism of the ordinary British Housewife as she keeps her home going in the front line; and in my opinion she is one of the finest characters in the country. No doubt someone will immortalize the Home Guard as he stands outlined against the autumn sky upon a church tower, or rifle in hand, lurks at village cross-roads and on the lonely stretches of the moors. But it should never be forgotten that this War, grim and terrible as it is, is not entirely grim and terrible; it is shot through with many a crazy humour. In conclusion, it should be said that, in viewing an exhibition of this kind, the average visitor will find himself judging a picture, not as a work of art, but as an interpretation of life in war-time. The pictures which stand out from their companions are those which tell a story and do not really require a title. For many years British artists have had nothing to paint. The walls of the Royal Academy were annually invaded by the same landscapes; the same unclothed maidens standing at the same pool ; the same lobster on the same plate; the same flattered peeresses; and the same idealized peers. It was obvious that theme was secondary to technique. Now, for the first time for many a year, our artists have been plunged violently into life. These pictures are the first fruit of their experience. There s nothing fanciful about them: they are all the result of observation and of feeling. If it be true that the artist should be the son of his time, then our painters may be thought lucky in their generation, for their stern parent has provided a theme for their brushes and their pencils upon the earth, above the earth and in the very bowels of the earth. This theme is the tragic, yet glorious, story of Great Britain's resistance and defiance during the most terrible attack ever made upon her people. While we look upon this picture and on this, we may reflect that it has taken many a century to prove to the full the truth of / that old proverb, quoted by Burton in his Anatomy of Melancholy, that "man is to man a ' devil ". And we may feel sure that no matter what future ages may think of these pictures as Art, they are certain to occupy for ever a high place in History. ' HUBERT FREETFI A Digger 10