The Art that Captured VE Day
John Noott, joint founder of the Broadway Arts Festival, is sharing two works from his personal collection, ‘The Art of World War II’, both of which capture the essence of VE Day. By leading artists of the time, each one captures a fascinating insight into the mood of the day in two very different locations, a London pub and the rural village of Leonard Stanley, Gloucestershire.
“VE Night” by Ruskin Spear CBE RA (1911 – 1990) Londoners celebrating VE Day in appropriate fashion
Ruskin Spear was born in Hammersmith and at age of 15, he won a scholarship to Hammersmith School of Art. Later, in 1930, another scholarship took him to the Royal College of Art. He began his teaching career at Croydon School of Art, then going on to teach at the Royal College of Art from 1948 to 1975. He was made a RA in 1954 and in 1957 he exhibited at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
“Victory Evening May 8th 1945 (Leonard Stanley)” by George Charlton (1899 – 1979)
Charlton was a frequent visitor to the village of Leonard Stanley, and was there on VE Day to observe the village celebrations.
Painter of landscapes, humorous genre and illustrator George Charlton was born 18 February 1899 in London and he studied at the Slade School from 1914 and then joined the staff there in 1919. He went on to teach at Willesden School of Art 1949–59 and was an examiner in Art for the University of London school examinations from 1931.
‘The Art of World War II – a personal collection’, was due to be on show at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum at Woodstock at this time, but was sadly cancelled due to the Coronavirus situation. It is hoped that it will be held when conditions allow.
For enquiries please email jon@john-noott.com or tel. 01386 852787
