Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was not only an outstanding political figure, but also a journalist and writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, but also a gifted self-taught artist. He left behind a huge legacy in this area: more than five hundred works. He worked mainly in the open air, and in the studio he created portraits and immediately began to paint only in oil. Now we will consider some of the paintings of Winston Churchill, whose painting is of not only historical, but also artistic interest.
Excerpts from the biography of a descendant of the dukes of Marlborough (branch of the Spencer family)
He was born ahead of time. Mother at that moment was at the ball and, not having time to get to the room, gave birth to a child in the hallway, littered with ladies' upper clothing. He studied in Brighton, at the Thompson sisters' school, well, but he received the lowest marks in behavior.
Already a well-known politician and member of the Cabinet of Ministers, the First Lord of the Admiralty, W. Churchill, in 1915, trying to bring the end of the war closer, carried out an unsuccessful operation in the Dardanelles. Allied forces were defeated and suffered huge losses. After that, the statesman resigned. He settled with his family at Howe Farm. It was a time of deep depression. The younger brother and his wife arrived at the Churchill family, who was fond of watercolors and spent whole hours in the park. After observing the sister-in-law for some time, Sir Winston took up paint and brush at age 40.
Above in the photo is a picture of Churchill's “Home and Garden at Howe Farm.” There he spent hours enthusiastically painting landscapes and portraits, forgetting about troubles and bitter disappointment. So Churchill emerged from depression. Later, returning to politics, he no longer gave up painting, giving her a lot of time. She, accompanying the rest of her life, brought him peace of mind.
Attitude to painting
All friends and family admired the unexpectedly discovered talent. But the artist himself regarded drawing simply as a hobby. In 1921, friends persuaded to send Churchill's paintings to the international exhibition in Paris to the prestigious Drouet Gallery under the pseudonym Charles Morin. Among other works, his self-portrait was exhibited there.
The jury noted the emergence of a new original artist. All these paintings were successfully sold out. In 1925, an exhibition of non-professional artists was held in London. Churchill's paintings were also presented on it under an assumed name. One of his paintings took first place! Later, in the summer of 1947, engaged in big politics, an amateur artist sent his works under the name David Winter to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and, to his great surprise, two canvases were accepted. One of them, “Winter sun. Chartull, "still located in his house, another," River Loop. Maritime Alps ”, owned by the Tate National Gallery in London. The artist himself, with his usual skepticism, did not take seriously the praises. Churchill easily gifted paintings to friends, and now his works at auctions are estimated at millions of dollars. This is a reassessment of the true value of Churchill as an artist.
Serious and smart painter
Although the politician never studied at a professional institution, his friend Sir John Lavery, a well-known Irish artist, stood at the origins of his work. He was also greatly influenced by the work of the Impressionists, whom he met in Paris, and the friendship with the great British artist of the 20th century, William Nicholson, about whom he said that this man taught him the most, was very important. Churchill's paintings show us a man who has seen beauty in the entire surrounding world. They reveal him as an artist who set himself complex technical tasks. This sign is no longer an amateur, but a professional. We illustrate this with one example: Churchill’s picture “A Pond with Goldfish”.
It is dominated by transparent curls of water and a gentle swarm of goldfish. This splendor is framed by carved leaves of plants on the shore with their carefully written reflections in the water. The artist successfully copes with building the composition and perspective, understands and conveys all the complexities of the shape of the leaves, admires the secrets of light and shadow, enjoys color. Possession of green shades is very difficult, and in this work they are presented masterly. It is not surprising that all professional friends unanimously admired his work.
Churchill's Art Diary
Wherever a politician had to go, he traveled half the world, everywhere he took with him an easel, canvases, brushes and paints. Therefore, in Churchill’s paintings we can now see not only the rural views of England, the houses and estates of his relatives and friends, but also the Italian Alps, Egyptian pyramids, views of Morocco, the French Riviera, Miami.
From the point of view of composition, the work “Hippodrome in Nice. View from under the railway bridge. " Its arched semicircular ceiling gives the painting the atmosphere of the Italian Renaissance. The sky with the lightest clouds is reflected in the blue of clear water, the banks of which are strewn with fine pebbles. In the distance, the building of the hippodrome, which is located on the line of the golden section, shines in the haze of a hot day on the golden shore, and therefore it is very harmoniously inscribed in the landscape.
Love of life
All paintings by Churchill show his love of life. Almost all of his works are dominated by light, warm colors. They carry a good perception of the world by the artist, which is transmitted to its viewer.
Sir Winston, like many Englishmen, was very fond of animals. Among his pets were the cat Nelson, the poodle first Rufus I, then Rufus II, the budgerigar Toby. He was affectionate about the sheep, which he captured on the canvas “Chartuel. A landscape with sheep, ”and to the pigs, about whom he said that they look at us as equals. At times he was attacked by irresistible longing. It was caused not only by overloads, but also by the international situation.
Overcoming the difficulty of being
Before the Second World War, Churchill wrote in 1938 the painting "Beach in Valmere." This scene was a response to treacherous politics when part of Czechoslovakia was handed over to the Nazis. Churchill's hands were tied. He was suspended from active work in the government. Therefore, on the one hand, a peaceful, serene scene was written, where the family plays on a golden beach, but a huge cannon from the continent is aimed at Britain.
During the war with Hitler, the "black dog" Churchill appeared. Is this a picture? No, this metaphor denotes black depression, symbolizes melancholy, disease, darkness and a dog because of its close connection with a person. A black dog was everywhere with him, sitting on his lap. It was the severity and tension that accompanied the leadership of the country at the height of the war. Anticipating the sinister goals of the Nazis, in June 1940, Churchill spoke in the House of Commons something like this: "If we fail, the whole world will plunge into the abyss of the dark age." Overcoming his pessimism, using all his potential and his strengths, Churchill dealt with a black dog.
After the war
Churchill was again removed from big politics. He came to the USA, where he painted landscapes and presented them to G. Truman and F. Roosevelt. In America, a very warm and cheerful landscape was written, "Orika Valley and Atlas Mountains." Later his health began to fail, and Churchill retired, but continued to paint. He died in his 91st year after another stroke in his London home in 1965.