Artwork
Houses on the Green, Calne
Houses on the Green, Calne is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Lines. It dates from 1942 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Houses on the Green, Calne is a watercolour painting executed in 1942 by the artist Lines as part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative to document the British landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene street scene in Calne, featuring two cyclists, stone buildings, small houses, trees, and power lines, capturing a moment of everyday life in an English town during World War II.
Technique & Style
Characterized by quick, loose brushstrokes, the work conveys light and shadow in muted tones of grays, browns, and greens, evoking a soft, faded, and calm atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Commissioned under the Recording Britain project, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and conceived by Sir Kenneth Clark, the piece aimed to preserve images of Britain's landscape amidst wartime threats and rapid change.
Context
Created during the Second World War as part of a national effort to record vulnerable sites, the painting reflects the project's focus on capturing English identity through towns, villages, and rural landscapes.
Artist & collection
The High Street, Marlborough, from St.Peter's Churchyard
Market Place, Poulton-le-fylde, near Blackpool
18th century houses at The Butts, Brentford
View of Pickering
Wheelwright's Yard, Gloucester Street, Malmesbury
Old brick residences in the grounds of the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum)
Waddock Farm, Clyffe, Nr. Dorchester
Poulton-le-fylde, near Blackpool
Gamekeepers Cottage (The Warren House), Cuxton Valley
The Church and Noble Street, Sherston- The Green and Church, Calne