ART
New War Pictures
THE exhibition at the National Gallery of paintings and drawings by official war artists has been re-hung and some additions hare been made to it. It looks very much better. Partly, this is because the war has become so much more disturbing since most of the pictures shown in the first edition were painted ; but largely it is because the show is now hung much better, the chief concern being general appearance rather than a good showing for individual pictures. And the opening of a third room allows really comfortable spacing.
Of first importance among the new arrivals are six water- colours by Paul Nash. They are the best pictures this war has produced, and should be seen. All are of crashed German bombers, in various surroundings. In a way Paul Nash has been anticipating these pictures by all his work for several years His passes at abstract art and his volleys of surrealist grapeshot have often been extremely business-like in the recent past, but he did not disclose his final objective in them as clearly as this. The new subject, of course, suits him perfectly. For a long time his ideal pictorial topic has been the object in the wrong box, that in some odd way turns out to be the inevitable boa Staring chalk figures cut in smooth green grass, strange holed stones on unlikely uplands, the derelict machinery of mine' workings that has long ceased to be of service but has developed a half-human look—subjects like this have done very well. flu now the enemy bomber lies smashed in an August cornfield and Paul Nash is obviously the man to deal with it. On th whole, the cornfield scene is the best of the series, but they all excellent. No summoning of melodrama ; no wallowing tragedy. A setting sun, some trees in a copse or some appearing cliffs decorate the stage from which these strange fact are announced simply. Down in the Channel has, in addit to its other virtues, the healthy excitement of a Boy's Own Pa illustration.
Other important new things here are the two pictures camouflaged aeroplanes by Graham Sutherland. The greens brown-reds in Picketed Aircraft have an engaging beauty, an their abstract quality heightens the realism of the scene ve much. After this, the idea of the same scene treated in " natural " photographic way is unthinkable. Silage, by lam' Bateman, A.R.A., is good everyday painting of change on Th farm that rightly finds a place in a show of war pictures- J,_, Mansbridge's picture of an airman in the cockpit is hir- competent and will certainly receive the popular vote. Tb water-colours by Eric Ravilious (the Navy—England and and Edward Bawden (Dunkirk) wear extremely well. In th again, there is that desirable accent on pattern, colour and th straightforward statement that helps to make a war Pcrure picture ; and there is no sign of that attempt to capture a sc which may never occur again that makes all war records, On' their news value has gone, so intolerably dreary.
jot*: PIPEIL
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