On the Stocks Possibly 1917 - 1918

Editor: This is Muirhead Bone's engraving "On the Stocks," likely from 1917-1918. It depicts a shipbuilding scene and it looks like such a chaotic mix of labor and industry! What does this industrial cityscape tell us about the time it was created? Curator: It speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Bone was actually commissioned as a war artist during both World Wars. These images, seemingly objective records, served a critical function: they bolstered public morale and justified wartime industrial production. This image captures the sheer scale of shipbuilding efforts and speaks to the national obsession with war efforts during this period. Editor: So, it's not just a snapshot, it's strategic communication? How would this have played out with audiences? Curator: Precisely! Images like these weren't simply displayed in galleries; they circulated widely through printed media. They showed the public that even amid unprecedented losses, Britain was industrially and militarily capable, reassuring those at home but also abroad. What I wonder is how did it feel for the depicted workers and the immediate spectators of these landscapes? Editor: That makes so much sense, viewing the artwork under this context sheds an entirely different light on it, and makes you question whether it can be appreciated with neutrality. It feels so intertwined with socio-political aims. Curator: Exactly, thinking of images beyond their mere aesthetic value lets us uncover how art became enmeshed with national ambitions. Bone’s artistic vision and public image served the State! Editor: Fascinating to see how one image could carry so much historical weight. Thank you, it really shifts how I understand it. Curator: My pleasure; seeing art as more than just "art" allows us to view their real impacts on culture and historical sentiment.