Worcester College, Oxford
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Worcester College, Oxford is a 1940 watercolor by Walter Bayes, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows a busy Oxford street scene with a large, old building in the background. A woman rides a bicycle in the foreground, while other people walk or stand around. The building has tall windows and a clock on its side, with trees full of yellow leaves overhead. The artist used loose, quick brushstrokes to capture the light and movement, giving it a sketchy, lively feel. The colors are soft and warm, with lots of purple and yellow blending together. If you like this style, check out Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like it.
This watercolour by Walter Bayes depicts Worcester College, Oxford, with its buildings covered in creeping plants, while cyclists and pedestrians occupy the foreground. Created in 1940 as part of the *Recording Britain* project, it was commissioned by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime to document aspects of British life and landscape during the Second World War. The scheme, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and directed by Sir Kenneth Clark, aimed to preserve a visual record of places and traditions perceived as threatened by wartime destruction or modern change. The work…
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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