A touring exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum Oxford
This exhibition showcases a range of rarely seen prints, drawings and watercolours revealing the effects of the First World War on soldiers and civilians alike, as seen through the eyes of contemporary artists.
Dramatic depictions of diving bombers, devastated landscapes and action in the trenches, contrasted with scenes of life on the Home Front, make this a moving and educational display.
The exhibition contrasts officially sanctioned propaganda with images produced more independently. It focuses on the Efforts and Ideals lithographs, a series of powerful images commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee in 1917.
From Claud Lovat Fraser’s almost cartoon-like watercolour studies of new recruits in their ramshackle uniforms, to William Orpen’s disturbing caricature of the Kaiser, produced to mark the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
The wide-ranging selection includes work by eight official British War Artists, such as Augustus John, Frank Brangwyn, Eric Kennington and Christopher Nevinson.
These dramatic compositions have a power that transcends their initial propagandist context, from Sydney Carline’s plane swooping low over the Sea of Galilee to Frank Brangwyn’s lonely sailor keeping watch over threatening dark seas.
The exhibition conveys the tension of the battle at sea
on land
and in the air
The exhibition also demonstrates the sheer hard work put in by those on the Home Front. The intense ship-building effort that supported the troops abroad is depicted by Muirhead Bone's Piranesi-like On the Stocks;
and by Edward Wadsworth’s Futurist-inspired Dazzle-Ship in Dry Dock.
The vital role played by women is also underlined, as in A.S. Hartrick’s striking portrait of a munitions worker, whose solidity and strength are equal to the lathe she operates.
Above all this is an exhibition of surprising contrasts.
Scenes recording the ecstatic celebrations on the night of the Armistice have a vivid sense of immediacy, while Gwen Raverat's woodcut showing a family gathering primroses in a wartime spring is in quieter, more reflective mode.
In addition to the works of art on paper, the exhibition presents a selection of commemorative medals from the First World War. Their varied designs include work by German, French and Belgian artists, and reveal an unexpected colonial dimension, reminding us of the participation in the conflict of soldiers from Cameroon, Rhodesia and German East Africa.
Together these works show how artists on all sides of the conflict responded with astonishing creativity to the horrors of the Great War.
The exhibition comprises 25 framed works on paper, two sketchbooks, a selection of German pamphlets and commemorative medals.
It is grouped into several themes. Battle Begins contains images of soldiers in their new uniforms, propaganda produced by the Allies and intense depictions of action in the trenches. Fields of Battle includes dramatic images of the war on land, in the air, and at sea, showing that the world was now being seen from entirely new angles. Home Front shows the important roles played by working people during the war, and the seriousness with which women approached their new opportunities for employment.
The exhibition can be adapted to suit all venue sizes up to 150 square metres and comes with object labels and interpretation panel content and design. The exhibition is usually hired for a 12-week display period.
The exhibition hire fee includes:
• The mounted and framed works on paper, selection of sketchbooks, pamphlets and nine medals
• Transport of exhibition from and return to Oxford (if venue is under 140 miles from the Ashmolean), and technical installation support if required
• Object labels and text panel content and design
• The exhibition's curator will be available for a lecture at the touring venue
• A selection of three images (to be determined by the venue) for use in the venue's press and publicity
• The book cradles and mounts for sketchbooks, pamphlets and coins
• Object preparation and condition reporting
• Tour co-ordination by the Ashmolean Museum Registrars' Department
Please contact us if you are interested in hiring this exhibition, or require any further information:
Touring Exhibitions, Ashmolean Museum
E: touring.exhibitions@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
T: 01865 288074/197
W: www.ashmolean.org/touring
Artists Under Fire: Remembering the Great War 1914-1918 is a touring exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
All our engaging exhibitions are curated by experts from the University of Oxford and based on original research. They utilise works of art and historical objects from the collections of the Ashmolean, to tell fascinating stories across cultures and time. All curators are available to give a lecture as part of the exhibition package.
Our exhibitions can be adapted to suit all venue sizes up to 150 square metres. They come with labels and interpretation panel content and design. If your venue is less than 140 miles from the Ashmolean, transport of the exhibition from and to Oxford is included. If your venue is further than 140 miles away we will work with you to ensure the exhibition is transported to you in the most economical method possible.
Our touring exhibitions team will provide expert assistance with all aspects of the exhibition, from the planning stages to the installation and beyond. We aim to build long term, mutually beneficial relationships with our touring partners.
Please contact us if you are interested in hiring, or require any further information:
Touring Exhibitions, Ashmolean Museum:
E: touring.exhibitions@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
T: 01865 288 074/197
W: www.ashmolean.org/touring
© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. All text and images in this document are for information purposes only. No further adaptation, alteration or manipulation whatsoever of any of the images or text contained in this document is permitted without the prior written consent of the Ashmolean Museum.
