Painted when the Austin Motor Co Ltd were building Sterling bombers during the war effort, it now hangs in the administration building of Longbridge. In the same way that the matrix of cast iron supporting a pier is aesthetically pleasing (to my eye at least), I find this painting attractive due to its complex composition and depth of perspective. The presence of female workers also adds to the singular nature of this image.
I first heard of this artist whilst browsing in the Royal Academy gift shop. I’d missed Knight’s exhibition, and was was there to see Anthony Gormley’s. I bought the Knight book based on sketches within.
I discovered the exhibition at the MK Gallery via a chance google encounter whilst searching for the Higgins Gallery’s Edward Bawden exhibition a couple of weeks ago. I never realised Milton Keynes had an art gallery, let alone one that can assemble such an impressive display of artwork; it was well worth the journey. Six galleries are dedicated to Laura Knight’s work. They’re well organised, with good clear captions, and arranged chronologically and by subject group. The war years section includes poignant images of WAAFs emphasising their individual strength of character. These two, below, survived a direct hit on the building in which they worked. They remained at their post until ordered to leave.
Laura Knight (1941)
The level of Knight’s skill left me in awe. It was beyond inspirational and moving on into the demotivational. At the end, while passing through the bookshop, I picked up a book on al fresco drawing, in an attempt to aid me in my self-improvement, I was left a little in a fug. I pause to consider that I do not have this issue with male artists. I realise that this makes me somewhat sexist in attitude. I can’t help comparing my meagre efforts to all that this artist achieved in her lifetime and feel wanting. I am close to giving up entirely.
There was a Platform Graduate Award Exhibition 2021 in the Project Space outside the main gallery. It was interesting to see these unguarded works on display all by themselves. I especially enjoyed the monoprints by Him Ming Chan “Me, the body, and Them”. There was a rawness to these prints to which I could relate. I’m not sure whether this is due to the dullness of my mood today, but there was in evidence a humanity to which I responded with a desire to connect. It surprises me when abstraction works in this way, as it is not always the case.
References:
Dame Laura Knight – Corporal Elspeth Henderson and Sergeant Helen Turner, 1941 (no date) Arthur. Available at: https://arthur.io/art/dame-laura-knight/corporal-elspeth-henderson-and-sergeant-helen-turner (Accessed: 17 October 2021).
Laura Knight: A Panoramic View ← What’s On ← MK Gallery (2021). Available at: https://mkgallery.org/whats-on/laura-knight-panoramic-view/ (Accessed: 17 October 2021).
‘Laura Knight RA: A Working Life @ the Royal Academy’ (2019) Books & Boots, 17 September. Available at: https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2019/09/17/laura-knight-the-royal-academy/ (Accessed: 17 October 2021).
Platform Graduate Award Exhibition 2021 ← What’s On ← MK Gallery (2021). Available at: https://mkgallery.org/whats-on/platform-graduate-award-exhibition-2021/ (Accessed: 17 October 2021).
Maureen Walker Illustration 1: Key steps in Illustration Blog 