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拍品專文
This magnificent work, on a vast and impressive scale has also been known by the title The Statesman. It commemorates Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, K.G., O.M., C.H., T.D., D.L., F.R.S., Hon. R.A. (1874-1965), soldier, journalist, author, artist, politician and orator, widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th Century and as the greatest Briton of all time. The man, who as prime minister, through his leadership, powerful oratory and sheer force of personality inspired a nation to stand firm against threat of Nazi tyranny. The artist herself was no stranger to painting works on this grand scale having worked on large wall paintings during her time in Cape Town. Edith Grace Wheatley studied at the Slade under Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer, as well as at the Atelier Colarossi in Paris. She exhibited at the Tate, the Royal Academy, and the British Museum, as well as in South Africa and Canada. The present lot was commissioned by Emile Littler for the Palace Theatre.
This wonderful picture compiles various key elements of Churchill's life and times. The picture is dominated by a V for Victory picked out in yellow roses. From 1941, Churchill adopted the V for Victory hand gesture and he was frequently depicted making it in photographs of the period. As prime minister he led the British Empire to victory again the Axis Powers, famously declaring in May 1945, 'This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this'. Churchill is depicted here in the robes of The Order of Garter, the oldest and most prestigious British chivalric order, which he received from the Queen in 1953. Above the figure of Churchill are the figures of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Churchill was born during the reign of the former and died during the reign of the latter, the only man to have been elected as a Member of Parliament (we see Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament towards the bottom of the picture) during the reign of both monarchs. The youthful depiction of Prince Charles, next to the two monarchs, would lead us to the assumption that this work was completed during Churchill's lifetime. Churchill's two countries, he was half-American through his mother, are represented by their national flags. He was made the first Honorary Citizen of the United States in 1963 in recognition of his efforts to establish and maintain a close partnership between the two countries. The Churchill Coat of Arms is represented between the heads of the two queens and also on the banner to his right (our left).
Around the edge of the painting are key scenes. From the top left, reference is made to the aerial war; Britain suffered a sustained campaign by the Luftwaffe during 1940-1 to bomb them into submission. Though vastly outnumbered, the RAF fought valiantly against the odds and in so doing thwarted German plans to invade, leading to Churchill's famous oration: 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few'. Below this we see the Battle of the Atlantic, referring to the Allies' ongoing struggle, lasting the duration of the war, to protect supply lines from German attack. Appointed First Lord of The Admiralty on the outbreak of war in 1939, this threat was of especial concern to Churchill. Readily aware that they were presented with the very real possibility of Great Britain being starved into submission, Churchill commented that, 'the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril'
At the bottom of the picture is a sunny terrace overlooking the sea with canvas and easel. Coming to painting later in life, Churchill quickly found, in the challenge it presented him, a respite from the world of politics. The artist Sir Oswald Birley commented that had Churchill 'given the time to art that he has given to politics, he would have been by all odds the world's greatest painter'. Churchill was elected an Honorary Royal Academician. At the bottom of the picture we see one of Churchill's toy poodles, both of whom were called Rufus. An animal lover all his life, Churchill was particularly devoted to both Rufuses who were treated like members of the family and were even given their own seat at the dining table next to their master. In the bottom right corner is a representation of the Normandy Landing of 1944, the Allied operation to invade Nazi occupied Europe. By both air and sea, British, American and Canadian troops landed in Northern France to begin the liberation and launch a second front to relieve the pressure on the U.S.S.R. in the east.
In the top right quarter of the picture, we see the library at Chartwell, Churchill's beloved home in Kent. Churchill was a noted journalist and historian, starting life as a war correspondent during the Boer War and writing, among other works, a four volume history of Great Britain and her former colonies entitled A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Above the library is a scene from the Sudan, probably from the Battle of Omdurman. Churchill was there as an officer in the British army in 1898 during the Mahdi's revolt, where the British forces defeated a far larger force of the Mahdi's followers. He wrote about his adventures in The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan. He also wrote a four volume biography of his ancestor, John Churchill, First Duke of Malborough, seen on the top right, the great soldier, who from humble beginnings, by virtue of his abilities as a military tactician, diplomat and driven by his voracious personal ambition achieved great wealth and stature, a dukedom and raised Britain's status to that of a major European military power.
This wonderful picture compiles various key elements of Churchill's life and times. The picture is dominated by a V for Victory picked out in yellow roses. From 1941, Churchill adopted the V for Victory hand gesture and he was frequently depicted making it in photographs of the period. As prime minister he led the British Empire to victory again the Axis Powers, famously declaring in May 1945, 'This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this'. Churchill is depicted here in the robes of The Order of Garter, the oldest and most prestigious British chivalric order, which he received from the Queen in 1953. Above the figure of Churchill are the figures of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Churchill was born during the reign of the former and died during the reign of the latter, the only man to have been elected as a Member of Parliament (we see Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament towards the bottom of the picture) during the reign of both monarchs. The youthful depiction of Prince Charles, next to the two monarchs, would lead us to the assumption that this work was completed during Churchill's lifetime. Churchill's two countries, he was half-American through his mother, are represented by their national flags. He was made the first Honorary Citizen of the United States in 1963 in recognition of his efforts to establish and maintain a close partnership between the two countries. The Churchill Coat of Arms is represented between the heads of the two queens and also on the banner to his right (our left).
Around the edge of the painting are key scenes. From the top left, reference is made to the aerial war; Britain suffered a sustained campaign by the Luftwaffe during 1940-1 to bomb them into submission. Though vastly outnumbered, the RAF fought valiantly against the odds and in so doing thwarted German plans to invade, leading to Churchill's famous oration: 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few'. Below this we see the Battle of the Atlantic, referring to the Allies' ongoing struggle, lasting the duration of the war, to protect supply lines from German attack. Appointed First Lord of The Admiralty on the outbreak of war in 1939, this threat was of especial concern to Churchill. Readily aware that they were presented with the very real possibility of Great Britain being starved into submission, Churchill commented that, 'the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril'
At the bottom of the picture is a sunny terrace overlooking the sea with canvas and easel. Coming to painting later in life, Churchill quickly found, in the challenge it presented him, a respite from the world of politics. The artist Sir Oswald Birley commented that had Churchill 'given the time to art that he has given to politics, he would have been by all odds the world's greatest painter'. Churchill was elected an Honorary Royal Academician. At the bottom of the picture we see one of Churchill's toy poodles, both of whom were called Rufus. An animal lover all his life, Churchill was particularly devoted to both Rufuses who were treated like members of the family and were even given their own seat at the dining table next to their master. In the bottom right corner is a representation of the Normandy Landing of 1944, the Allied operation to invade Nazi occupied Europe. By both air and sea, British, American and Canadian troops landed in Northern France to begin the liberation and launch a second front to relieve the pressure on the U.S.S.R. in the east.
In the top right quarter of the picture, we see the library at Chartwell, Churchill's beloved home in Kent. Churchill was a noted journalist and historian, starting life as a war correspondent during the Boer War and writing, among other works, a four volume history of Great Britain and her former colonies entitled A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Above the library is a scene from the Sudan, probably from the Battle of Omdurman. Churchill was there as an officer in the British army in 1898 during the Mahdi's revolt, where the British forces defeated a far larger force of the Mahdi's followers. He wrote about his adventures in The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan. He also wrote a four volume biography of his ancestor, John Churchill, First Duke of Malborough, seen on the top right, the great soldier, who from humble beginnings, by virtue of his abilities as a military tactician, diplomat and driven by his voracious personal ambition achieved great wealth and stature, a dukedom and raised Britain's status to that of a major European military power.