Lysanders in the snow 1942

Eric Ravilious made this watercolour painting, Lysanders in the Snow, sometime before 1942. The soft, almost bleached-out palette immediately sets a tone. It feels like a memory, or a dream. Ravilious wasn't about bold pronouncements; it’s all subtle and suggestive. The details! Notice the thin lines that make up the rigging of the planes. They're so delicate. It's like he's drawing with water. And how the sky and snow seem to merge. You can almost feel the damp cold. There's something about the way he renders the planes, not as roaring machines of war, but almost like fragile kites caught in the landscape. In some ways it reminds me of Edward Hopper's subdued tones and subtle use of light, or maybe even a little bit of Paul Nash's surreal landscapes. Art's just one big conversation, isn't it? Always echoing, always changing.