Artwork
Upper Thames Street: building work in progress
Upper Thames Street: building work in progress is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Hugh McKenzie. It dates from 1972 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Upper Thames Street: building work in progress is a 1972 watercolour by Hugh McKenzie, depicting a London street scene amidst construction.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a city street corner with workers, scaffolding, and horse-drawn carts, conveying the everyday, unpolished aspect of urban life during a period of development.
Technique & Style
McKenzie's watercolour emphasizes the raw, dynamic quality of the scene, with a focus on the textures and activities of the construction site, rendered in a gritty, observational style.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hugh McKenzie’s cityscapes turn London building sites and everyday streets into watercolours and drawings.
Demolition at Chester 1942
Lyall Street, Eaton Square
Smith Square, Westminster
Gloucester Street, Pimlico
West George Street, Glasgow
Victoria Square S.W.1.
Epping High Street
Nevilles Court
The Royal Mineral Water Hospital, Bath
Entrance lodge to the South Kensington (now the Victoria and Albert) Museum and surrounding buildings, facing the Cromwell Road
Covent Garden Opera House; The Colonnade
London Street