Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) transformed British art through his distinctive watercolors and wood engravings that captured the English countryside with modernist precision. As an official war artist, he documented WWII’s quieter moments until his tragic death at 39 when his aircraft disappeared over Iceland. His haunting landscapes and wartime scenes continue to influence contemporary artists, cementing his legacy as a master of finding extraordinary beauty in ordinary British life.
Key Points Summary
- Brief but Influential Career: Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) created a lasting impact on British art in just 39 years, reshaping landscape painting with his unique modernist approach to traditional subjects.
- Educational Foundation: Studied at Eastbourne School of Art and Royal College of Art under Paul Nash, who encouraged him to blend traditional landscape painting with modernist abstraction.
- Distinctive Watercolor Technique: Mastered a tightly controlled watercolor style with crisp lines, delicate textures, and subtle color palettes, creating dreamlike yet precise landscapes.
- Multi-Disciplinary Artist: Excelled as a painter, wood engraver, book illustrator, and designer, creating ceramics for Wedgwood and illustrations for prestigious publishers like Golden Cockerel Press.
- Sussex Landscape Connection: Deeply influenced by the South Downs and English countryside, particularly around Eastbourne where he spent his formative years.
- Modernist Sensibility: Combined traditional English landscape subjects with an “off-kilter, modernist sensibility,” creating works that were both timeless and distinctly contemporary.
- War Artist Legacy: Appointed as official war artist in 1940, focusing on quieter aspects of military life rather than dramatic battle scenes, including airfields, ships, and remote outposts.
- Tragic End: Died in September 1942 when his aircraft disappeared over Iceland during a search-and-rescue mission, becoming the first British war artist to die on active service in WWII.
- Posthumous Recognition: His reputation has grown significantly in recent decades, with works now housed in major institutions including Tate Britain, Imperial War Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum.
- Enduring Influence: His vision of England’s pastoral beauty and wartime resilience continues to inspire contemporary artists, designers, and illustrators.
Podcast: All you need to know about Eric Ravilious
In the crisp light of a winter morning in 1940, Eric Ravilious stood at his easel on a windswept English coastline, his brush capturing the skeletal forms of beached fishing boats. This scene – where nature meets human endeavor, where traditional craft meets modern lines – embodied everything that made Ravilious one of Britain’s most compelling 20th-century artists.
Through watercolors that shimmer with ethereal light, wood engravings that cut to the essence of the English landscape, and designs that transformed everyday objects into works of art, Ravilious created a visual language that was both timeless and distinctly modern. Although his life was cut tragically short when his plane vanished over Iceland during World War II, in just 39 years Ravilious managed to reshape British art, leaving behind works that continue to resonate with their haunting beauty and quiet power. His art speaks of peace and war, of ancient hills and modern machines, of the poetry found in ordinary things – a legacy that grows more relevant with each passing year.
This post explores his life, artistic style, and enduring impact, offering a deeper appreciation for a man whose quiet yet powerful vision shaped British art in the 20th century.
A Promising Beginning: Education and Early Influences
Eric Ravilious was born in 1903 in Acton, West London, but his family later moved to Eastbourne, where he developed a love for the rolling Sussex Downs. The landscapes of his childhood would later become some of his most famous subjects.
As a young artist, he attended the Eastbourne School of Art before securing a place at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. There, he studied under Paul Nash, a celebrated war artist and surrealist, who played a pivotal role in shaping Ravilious’s artistic direction. Nash encouraged him to explore the intersection of traditional landscape painting with modernist abstraction, a fusion that would become a hallmark of Ravilious’s work.
During his time at RCA, Ravilious met other notable artists, including Edward Bawden, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Their shared passion for illustration and design led to collaborations that would define British book illustration and commercial art during the early 20th century.
Distinctive Style: The Art of Eric Ravilious
Mastery of Watercolour
Ravilious is best known for his watercolour landscapes, which possess a dreamlike quality. Unlike traditional watercolourists, who aimed for fluidity and softness, Ravilious employed a tightly controlled technique with crisp lines, delicate textures, and subtle colour palettes. His work often depicted empty or sparsely populated spaces, giving his paintings an eerie, timeless atmosphere.
One of his most famous works, The Westbury Horse (1939), showcases his meticulous approach. The painting features the ancient chalk figure of a horse carved into the Wiltshire hillside, its stark white form standing in contrast to the muted greens and browns of the surrounding fields. The composition conveys a sense of history and permanence, a theme that runs throughout his work.
A Love for the English Countryside
Ravilious had a deep affection for the British landscape, and his paintings often depicted coastal scenes, rolling hills, and quaint villages. Unlike the idyllic, sun-drenched portrayals of rural England seen in earlier art, Ravilious’s landscapes have a more melancholic tone. He captured the beauty of the countryside but also its emptiness and fragility, a reflection perhaps of the growing uncertainty of the world as it edged toward war.
Wood Engravings and Design
In addition to painting, Ravilious was a prolific wood engraver and designer. His engravings, often created for book illustrations, exhibited the same precision and attention to detail as his paintings. He worked for publishers such as the Golden Cockerel Press, illustrating books with intricate, finely detailed images that captured scenes of rural life, folklore, and history.
His designs extended beyond book illustration—he created ceramics for Wedgwood, producing exquisite patterns for plates, mugs, and decorative pieces. His work in design demonstrated his ability to merge fine art with everyday objects, making beauty accessible to a wider audience.
World War II and the Role of a War Artist
Becoming an Official War Artist
As World War II broke out, Ravilious’s artistic career took a dramatic turn. In 1940, he was appointed as an official war artist by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee, a government program that commissioned artists to document the war. Unlike traditional war artists who depicted dramatic battle scenes, Ravilious focused on the quieter, often overlooked aspects of military life—airfields, ships, and remote outposts.
Capturing the Atmosphere of War
One of his most striking war paintings, Dangerous Work at Low Tide (1940), depicts men working on a mine-clearance operation at the coast. The painting’s muted colour palette and calm composition contrast with the inherent danger of the scene, a hallmark of Ravilious’s ability to find beauty in everyday moments.
His work as a war artist took him across Britain and even to Iceland, where he painted scenes of the naval convoys and harsh Arctic landscapes. His ability to balance realism with an almost poetic sense of stillness made his war paintings uniquely powerful.
Tragic Death in 1942
Ravilious’s life was tragically cut short in September 1942, when he was assigned to an RAF unit in Iceland. While accompanying a search-and-rescue mission, his aircraft disappeared over the sea. He was declared missing in action, a devastating loss to the art world. He was only 39 years old.
Despite his untimely death, Ravilious’s work has continued to grow in recognition. His paintings provide a window into a lost world—both the peaceful English countryside and the tense, surreal atmosphere of wartime Britain.
Legacy and Influence
Posthumous Recognition
For many years after his death, Ravilious’s work remained somewhat overlooked, but in recent decades, his reputation has soared. His watercolours, engravings, and designs have been celebrated in major exhibitions, and his influence can be seen in contemporary British art.
Several books have been published about his life and work, including Ravilious & Co: The Pattern of Friendship by Andy Friend, which explores his collaborations with other artists of his time.
Modern Appreciation
Today, Ravilious’s work is housed in major institutions like the Tate Britain, the Imperial War Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His paintings and illustrations continue to inspire artists, designers, and historians alike.
His ability to capture the essence of England—both its landscapes and its wartime resilience—makes his work deeply resonant even today. Whether through the intricate lines of his engravings, the haunting beauty of his watercolours, or the historical significance of his war art, Eric Ravilious remains a vital figure in British cultural history.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What artistic style is Eric Ravilious known for?
Ravilious is associated with British Magic Realism and is known for his watercolours that examine English landscape and vernacular art with an off-kilter, modernist sensibility and clarity. His work combined traditional landscape subjects with modernist abstraction, creating a unique visual language that was both timeless and distinctly modern.
What techniques did Eric Ravilious use in his watercolors?
Ravilious used a limited palette of subdued colours in his watercolours, typically depicting the landscape of southern England between the wars. Unlike traditional watercolorists who aimed for fluidity, he employed tightly controlled techniques with crisp lines, delicate textures, and precise compositions that gave his paintings a dreamlike yet structured quality.
What other mediums did Eric Ravilious work in besides painting?
Eric Ravilious was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver. He was a master of the craft of woodcuts and created ceramic designs for Wedgwood, book illustrations for prestigious publishers, and various design work that merged fine art with everyday objects.
How did Eric Ravilious die?
He served as a war artist, and was the first British war artist to die on active service in World War II when the aircraft he was in was lost off Iceland. Ravilious was the only salaried war artists who died while under contract and whose body was never recovered. Ravilious’s name appears on the Royal Navy Memorial at Chatham.
What subjects did Eric Ravilious paint as a war artist?
Ravilious’s output as a war artists was large. The depiction of air and sea, aeroplanes and ships, seemed to suit his style and technique and his war work is among some of his best. He painted a wide range of subjects including: aircraft being de-iced, barrage balloons, coastal defences, HM Ark Royal in action and one painting of Corporal Steddiford’s mobile pigeon loft.
Where can I see Eric Ravilious’s work today?
Ravilious’s work is housed in major institutions including Tate Britain, the Imperial War Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His paintings, wood engravings, and designs have been celebrated in major exhibitions, and his influence can be seen in contemporary British art. His biggest collection is displayed in the Towner, Eastbourne
What is Eric Ravilious’s most famous work?
One of his most celebrated works is “The Westbury Horse” (1939), which depicts the ancient chalk figure of a horse carved into the Wiltshire hillside. This painting showcases his meticulous approach and ability to convey both history and permanence in his compositions.
Who influenced Eric Ravilious’s artistic development?
His primary influence was Paul Nash, his teacher at the Royal College of Art, who encouraged him to explore the intersection of traditional landscape painting with modernist abstraction. He also formed important friendships with fellow artists like Edward Bawden, leading to collaborations that defined British book illustration and commercial art.
What made Eric Ravilious’s war art unique?
Unlike traditional war artists who depicted dramatic battle scenes, Ravilious focused on the quieter, often overlooked aspects of military life. His war paintings balanced realism with an almost poetic sense of stillness, finding beauty in everyday military moments and creating uniquely powerful documentation of wartime Britain.
How long was Eric Ravilious’s artistic career?
It is hard to believe, looking at the extraordinary work of Eric Ravilious, that the artist’s entire output – from student days to seasoned illustrator – was limited to a mere 20 years of painting, printing, and designing. Despite this relatively short career, he managed to create a substantial and influential body of work.
Conclusion: A Quiet Genius of British Art
Eric Ravilious’s art offers a unique blend of nostalgia, precision, and modernist vision. His work is not just about recording landscapes or military scenes—it is about capturing a fleeting moment in time, preserving the essence of a place or experience with delicate craftsmanship.
Though his career was tragically short, his legacy endures. His influence can be seen in everything from contemporary illustration to graphic design, and his vision of Britain—both its pastoral beauty and its wartime endurance—continues to resonate with audiences today.
For those who love British art, Ravilious remains a figure worth exploring. His ability to turn the everyday into something extraordinary is a testament to his genius, ensuring that his work will be admired for generations to come.
Additional Resources
Books and Publications
- “Ravilious & Co: The Pattern of Friendship” by Andy Friend – Explores Ravilious’s collaborations with other artists of his time
- “Eric Ravilious: The Story of a War Artist” – Comprehensive look at his war art and tragic death
- “The Wood Engravings of Eric Ravilious“ – Focus on his mastery of wood engraving techniques
Museums and Galleries
- Tate Britain – Major collection of Ravilious paintings and prints
- The Towner – biggest collection of his artwork
- Imperial War Museum – Houses his war art collection
- Victoria and Albert Museum – Features his design work and ceramics
- Pallant House Gallery – Regular exhibitions of his work
Online Resources
- Official Eric Ravilious Website – Comprehensive resource with biography, exhibitions, and news
- Art UK – Eric Ravilious – Extensive collection of his works in UK public collections
- Goldmark Gallery – Articles and analysis of his artistic legacy
Educational Resources
- Royal College of Art Archives – Information about his time at RCA
- Eastbourne Museums – Local history and connection to his upbringing
- Wedgwood Museum – His ceramic design work
