These London boys find a new and healthy way of life in the country, which is in itself an education 1940

Curator: This is "These London boys find a new and healthy way of life in the country, which is in itself an education," a 1940 pencil drawing by Ethel Léontine Gabain. Editor: My first impression is the delicate texture she achieves. The details, down to each blade of grass and fold in the boy's clothing, draw you in. It's almost dreamlike, especially the way the background dissolves into wisps. Curator: Absolutely, and it’s important to note that this image emerged during the Second World War, as part of a broader social movement aiming to evacuate children from urban centers to safer rural locations. These children symbolize a very specific demographic shift during a period of extreme anxiety. Editor: So, the rural setting itself is a deliberate symbol here, a return to Eden, almost? These boys are not just finding a healthy way of life but perhaps reclaiming something lost. The artist even put halos of light above the trees. Curator: Precisely! And that is quite visible. During the war, imagery of rural life flourished, carrying idealized notions of Englishness and the restorative power of the countryside. It’s more than just pastoral aesthetic; it's political. Editor: It’s fascinating how she captures this tension between innocence and disruption. There's an undeniable sense of hope woven into it all. Children in nature. The fishing rods are spear like. Did these fishing poles remind people of the need for resilience, even in childhood? Curator: Indeed. The symbolism of growth and promise is powerfully intertwined with a narrative of resilience during wartime. Gabain manages to illustrate both hope and a call to the continuity of life, against a background of immense conflict. Editor: A very poignant piece indeed. Gabain’s title gives a heavy-handed clue about the education found here. But the drawing itself opens up a much richer view of wartime anxiety and hope, the symbolic weight of which has definitely landed in a way that resonates.