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Bawden, Ravilious and the Artists of Great Bardfield
In 1925, the artists Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious moved to the village of Great Bardfield in the countryside of Essex, England. Over time, other artists came to the village, forming a community of artists and designers that remains active today. In the 1950s, these artists, including Bawden, Ravilious, John Aldridge, Michael Rothenstein, and Marianne Straub, among others, held now-famous “open house” exhibitions, displaying their modernist works to the public in their own homes. These informal shows brought acclaim to the artists, and also brought thousands of visitors to the quaint village. This richly illustrated book shows how that community, and its neigh- boring landscape, nurtured a distinctive style of art, design, and illustration
- GenresArt
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 6, 2022
A big book featuring the various artists of Great Barfield. A good selection of prints, watercolours, lino cuts, screen prints and sketches and some interesting text. A good book to look through and get inspired.
August 24, 2017
An enjoyable read of all the artists that passed through Great Bardfield. The text was enjoyable enough, but it was the stunning artwork that grabbed me.
Why else would one buy this if not to spend hours contemplating such masterful artists work?
Highly recommended.
Why else would one buy this if not to spend hours contemplating such masterful artists work?
Highly recommended.
June 4, 2018
For years, I gravitated towards the watercolours and linocuts/woodcuts of Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden - mostly in the form of cards (often found at Persephone Books). When I read Tirzah Garwood’s autobiography Long Live Great Bardfield, published by Persephone in 2016, I learned much more about this extraordinary community of artists who settled in the small village of Great Bardfield, Essex in the early 1930s. This past week I saw an exhibit of Edward Bawden’s work at the Dulwich Picture Gallery - and that event inspired me to read this art book (purchased from the V & A Museum in May 2018, and published as a collaboration between V & A Publishing and the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden).
Edward Bawden is definitely the main link between the male and female artists who were drawn to Great Bardfield and neighbouring Essex villages - mostly for the inexpensive housing, according to both this book and Garwood’s autobiography. As both an Essex man and a graduate of the Royal College of Art, Bawden attracted friends and colleagues to the area. Although his close friendship and working relationship with Ravilious is explored in the book, it gives nearly as much space to other associations with artists and designers who are not nearly so well-known these days. I was particularly interested in, and touched by, his friendship with artist Sheila Robinson.
There is a funny quotation about Bawden’s artistic output in the book: he is described as accepting ‘any design challenge in any medium from a beer mat to a garden seat’. This broad range of techniques and interests, and his varied output in commercial design work, was certainly notable in both the art exhibition and the Bawden work featured in this book. Although Ravilious and Bawden were known for their ‘textured watercolours’, mostly of landscapes, in the 1930s, Bawden’s later work was more likely to be murals, dust jackets, illustrations, posters, linocuts or a project like the King Penguin book covers. He was also a War Artist in World War II, as was Ravilious, and he travelled extensively during the war. Some of his Baghdad pictures were featured in the Dulwich exhibition.
In addition to Bawden and Ravilious, this book features the work (and some biographical information) about the following artists associated with Great Bardfield in the interwar period: John Aldridge, Bernard Cheese, Sheila Robinson, Walter Hoyle, Michael Rothenstein, Kenneth Rowntree and Marianne Straub. Nearly all of the male artists married women who were also artists - or designers or craftspersons of some description. Garwood’s biography gives a rich sense of how the women in the community balanced their artistic interests and aspirations with domestic responsibilities and demands. This book also touches on that subject, although without the same detail. Of course the real appeal of the book is the truly splendid range of artwork in it - all of it beautifully reproduced.
Edward Bawden is definitely the main link between the male and female artists who were drawn to Great Bardfield and neighbouring Essex villages - mostly for the inexpensive housing, according to both this book and Garwood’s autobiography. As both an Essex man and a graduate of the Royal College of Art, Bawden attracted friends and colleagues to the area. Although his close friendship and working relationship with Ravilious is explored in the book, it gives nearly as much space to other associations with artists and designers who are not nearly so well-known these days. I was particularly interested in, and touched by, his friendship with artist Sheila Robinson.
There is a funny quotation about Bawden’s artistic output in the book: he is described as accepting ‘any design challenge in any medium from a beer mat to a garden seat’. This broad range of techniques and interests, and his varied output in commercial design work, was certainly notable in both the art exhibition and the Bawden work featured in this book. Although Ravilious and Bawden were known for their ‘textured watercolours’, mostly of landscapes, in the 1930s, Bawden’s later work was more likely to be murals, dust jackets, illustrations, posters, linocuts or a project like the King Penguin book covers. He was also a War Artist in World War II, as was Ravilious, and he travelled extensively during the war. Some of his Baghdad pictures were featured in the Dulwich exhibition.
In addition to Bawden and Ravilious, this book features the work (and some biographical information) about the following artists associated with Great Bardfield in the interwar period: John Aldridge, Bernard Cheese, Sheila Robinson, Walter Hoyle, Michael Rothenstein, Kenneth Rowntree and Marianne Straub. Nearly all of the male artists married women who were also artists - or designers or craftspersons of some description. Garwood’s biography gives a rich sense of how the women in the community balanced their artistic interests and aspirations with domestic responsibilities and demands. This book also touches on that subject, although without the same detail. Of course the real appeal of the book is the truly splendid range of artwork in it - all of it beautifully reproduced.
February 3, 2026
Beautifully produced with excellent illustrations. A good range of writers for the various essays and well put together to avoid repetition of information. Very clear and well written.
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May 6, 2019Interesting to read about the not-so-famous artists.
In 1925, the artists Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious moved to the village of Great Bardfield in the countryside of Essex, England. Over time, other artists came to the village, forming a community of artists and designers that remains active today. In the 1950s, these artists, including Bawden, Ravilious, John Aldridge, Michael Rothenstein, and Marianne Straub, among others, held now-famous “open house” exhibitions, displaying their modernist works to the public in their own homes. These informal shows brought acclaim to the artists, and also brought thousands of visitors to the quaint village. This richly illustrated book shows how that community, and its neigh- boring landscape, nurtured a distinctive style of art, design, and illustration
In 1925, the artists Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious moved to the village of Great Bardfield in the countryside of Essex, England. Over time, other artists came to the village, forming a community of artists and designers that remains active today. In the 1950s, these artists, including Bawden, Ravilious, John Aldridge, Michael Rothenstein, and Marianne Straub, among others, held now-famous “open house” exhibitions, displaying their modernist works to the public in their own homes. These informal shows brought acclaim to the artists, and also brought thousands of visitors to the quaint village. This richly illustrated book shows how that community, and its neigh- boring landscape, nurtured a distinctive style of art, design, and illustration
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews