Artwork
Study for 'To the Land of Ecstasy'
Study for 'To the Land of Ecstasy' is a watercolor work on paper by the Aestheticist artist Ethel Walker. It dates from 1928 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Study for 'To the Land of Ecstasy' is a 1928 watercolour by Ethel Walker, serving as a preparatory study for a larger decorative oil painting of the same theme.
Subject & Meaning
The watercolour depicts a dreamy, softly coloured scene, evoking an ethereal or idyllic state, as suggested by the title's reference to 'Ecstasy'.
Technique & Style
Characterized by loose brushstrokes, the study employs a technique akin to sfumato, achieving a hazy, soft effect without the raised texture of impasto.
History & Provenance
Signed and dated in pencil by Walker, this study preceded the commissioned oil painting To the Land of Ecstasy, later acquired by Leicester Museum and Art Gallery from collector Henry Blackwall Harris's collection.
Context
Created for a private residential commission in Kensington Square, the work reflects the decorative and imaginative approaches of the time in British art.
Legacy
As a preparatory study, its significance lies in illuminating Walker's creative process for the final, larger work, now part of a public collection.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Dame Ethel Walker was a Scottish painter of portraits, flower-pieces, sea-pieces and decorative compositions.
