Coastal Defences 1940

Eric Ravilious made this watercolour, Coastal Defences, during World War II. The pale grey wash, punctuated by decisive hatching marks, really sets a mood. I can imagine Ravilious outside, trying to capture the scene. It seems like he wanted to get it down quickly, before the light changed or the moment passed. But, even though the colours are muted, the painting feels alive. I keep thinking about the relationship between Ravilious's work and other landscape painters, like Paul Nash, who were also working in Britain at this time. They share this interest in the poetics of place. The comet-like flash in the upper left really grabs my attention. Ravilious maybe wasn't just depicting a scene but also trying to express something about the uncertainty and anxiety of wartime. His art reminds us that artists are always in conversation with one another, building on the past, responding to the present, and imagining the future.