Bomb Defusing Equipment 1940

Eric Ravilious made this watercolour, Bomb Defusing Equipment, at some point during the Second World War. Look at the colour palette: mostly muted tones, creating a sense of understated realism, yet there's something almost dreamlike about it, too. I feel that artmaking is all about process, and this piece really speaks to that. Ravilious was interested in the everyday, and here he elevates the tools of war to a still life. The paper with the list is a beautiful touch, with all the things needed to diffuse the bomb. See the bag with ‘TOOLS R.M.S’ printed on it? The tools themselves seem almost delicate, each rendered with care. He uses thin washes of watercolour, allowing the paper to breathe through. It's this transparency that gives the painting its ethereal quality. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the page, each stroke deliberate yet fluid. It reminds me a bit of Edward Bawden, another British artist with a similar eye for detail. I believe art is an ongoing conversation, and this piece speaks to that.