The Smoke Room, Ashopton Inn
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
The Smoke Room, Ashopton Inn is a 1940 watercolor by Kenneth Rowntree, a Social Realism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolour painting depicts the interior of a room, likely a smoke room, with a table and bench in the center. The walls are adorned with a dartboard and a framed picture of a fish, while a window on the right side allows natural light to enter. The room's decor is simple yet inviting, with a warm colour palette that evokes a sense of comfort. The painting's attention to detail is evident in the texture of the brick wall and the pattern on the bench. The artist's use of colour and composition creates a cozy atmosphere, drawing the viewer's eye to the center of the room. For more works by Rowntree, Kenneth, explore his other paintings and learn about his artistic style.
This watercolour by Kenneth Rowntree depicts the interior of the Smoke Room at Ashopton Inn, a sparse space characterized by wooden benches and a single ashtray, reflecting the utilitarian nature of a traditional English public house. The setting, marked by a dartboard, a stuffed fish, and an unadorned calendar, conveys a masculine atmosphere and the pub’s role in village life. Created in 1940 as part of the *Recording Britain* project, the work documents aspects of British identity during the Second World War, focusing on everyday locations and their cultural significance. The scheme, led by…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Kenneth Rowntree painted quiet British places in watercolour around 1940, from barn-stacked Essex fields to the carved oak pews of Caernarvonshire chapels.
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