Corner of the Sheldonian, Oxford
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Corner of the Sheldonian, Oxford is a 1940 watercolor by Walter Bayes, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows a street corner with old stone buildings. Statues line the fence in front of a big, arched gate. Two men walk past—one bent over, the other standing straight. The buildings have tall windows and fancy details like columns and carvings. The colors are soft, with lots of blue and purple shadows. The gate in the middle leads into a courtyard with a tall, pointed tower. The artist used loose brushstrokes, making the scene feel quick and sketchy. The statues look like they’re guarding the entrance. Next, look up Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.
A watercolour by Walter Bayes depicts a partial view of the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, showing two young men walking quickly along the street, possibly students heading to lectures. Created in 1940, the work was part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative funded by the Pilgrim Trust and administered by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime. The scheme commissioned artists to document aspects of British life and landscapes perceived as threatened by war or modernization. Over 1,500 works were produced under this program, which ran from 1940 to 1943.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Walter John Bayes was an English painter and illustrator who was a founder member of both the Camden Town Group and the London Group and also a renowned art teacher and critic.
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