Artwork
Linked Islands
Linked Islands is a watercolor work on paper by the Art Brut artist Ithell Colquhoun. It dates from 1947 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Linked Islands is a watercolour painting by Ithell Colquhoun, a British artist associated with the Surrealist movement. The work showcases Colquhoun's use of 'automatic' processes, incorporating chance into her creative technique.
Technique & Style
The painting was produced using 'decalcomania', a process where paint is applied between two sheets of paper, creating a chance pattern when they are pulled apart. Colquhoun then developed this pattern with black ink, forming the image of two linked islands.
Subject & Meaning
The work is part of a series inspired by the myth of Santa Warna, associated with the Isles of Scilly off Cornwall's coast. The theme reflects Colquhoun's interests in esoteric mythology and her affection for Cornwall's coastal landscape, where she maintained a studio.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ithell Colquhoun was a British painter, occultist, poet and author. Stylistically her artwork was affiliated with Surrealism. In the early 1930s she met André Breton in Paris, and later started working with Surrealist…
