Artwork
The Detached Belfrey, Pembridge
The Detached Belfrey, Pembridge is a watercolor work on paper by the Regionalist artist Lines. It dates from 1942 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The Detached Belfrey, Pembridge is a watercolour painting created in 1942 by Lines, depicting the 14th-century bell tower of St. Mary's Church in Pembridge, Herefordshire.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows the church's unusual tiered bell tower with pyramidal roofs, surrounded by a churchyard with leaning gravestones and long grass, capturing a serene and somewhat melancholic atmosphere.
Technique & Style
Loose, quick brushstrokes convey a sense of light and shadow, imbuing the scene with a gentle, dreamy quality, while muted grays and browns dominate the colour palette with a hint of blue in the background.
History & Provenance
The work was produced as part of the 'Recording Britain' project, a wartime initiative to document sites of national significance in England, Wales, and Scotland, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime.
Context
The painting was created during a time of war, when there were concerns about the potential destruction of culturally significant sites and changes to the landscape.
Artist & collection
- Bosbury Church
Stoke Poges Church, Buckinghamshire. Illustration to Gray's 'Elegy'
St.Peter's Church, Stanton Low
St. Bartholomew's Church, Fingest
Broadwas Church
Benden Abbey, Wool
Middleton Church
Princes Farm, Fingest
St.George's Church, Hatford
East Hanningfield Church, Essex
Church and Green, Wethersfield