Artwork
Cricket on the Hearth
Cricket on the Hearth is a paint painting by the Art Brut artist Heinrich Heckroth. It dates from 1943 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This painting shows a dreamy crowd of puppets and tiny fairies. They dance in a soft, glowing light. A cricket perches on a hearth, watching over them.
Heckroth made this in 1943 for a play’s opening night. He used it as a projector screen, so the picture appeared onstage before the show.
Look at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s online collection to see it up close.
Overview
Cricket on the Hearth is a 1943 painting by Hein Heckroth, featuring a whimsical assembly of puppets, fairies, and fairy-tale figures set against a soft, glowing backdrop. A central cricket perches on a hearth, overseeing the dreamy scene.
Subject & Meaning
The painting's subject is directly tied to its commission for a theatrical production of Charles Dickens's 'Cricket on the Hearth'. The imagery, including the titular cricket, reflects the story's themes, with the hearth symbolizing warmth and guardianship.
Technique & Style
Heckroth's use of soft, glowing light and the depiction of mixed-scale figures (puppets and tiny fairies) alongside the cricket creates a sense of enchantment. The style blends realism with fantastical elements, suited for its original purpose as a projection screen.
History & Provenance
Created in 1943 for Basil Langton’s Travelling Repertory Theatre, this painting was used as a projection on a front scrim curtain for the re-opening production of 'Cricket on the Hearth' at the Birmingham Rep Theatre. A handwritten inscription by Basil Langton (dated November 2, 1989) on the reverse confirms its history.
Context
The painting's creation coincided with the re-opening of the Birmingham Rep Theatre in 1943, marking a significant cultural event during wartime Britain. Its use as a projection screen innovatively integrated art into theatrical performance.
Legacy
Now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection, 'Cricket on the Hearth' can be viewed online, offering insight into mid-20th-century theatrical design and Heckroth's contribution to this field.
Artist & collection
Artist
Heinrich Heckroth painted scenes of everyday life, like Cricket on the Hearth in 1943.
