I popped into Tate Liverpool today as I was in town because I had struggled with the majority of the works Piper did, with the exception of these two:
John Piper and the Artistic War Effort
I hate giving up on an artist, so thought I would have another go. It was much quieter today and while the still lifes and collages still did little for me, I began to see something with the abstractions.
There were reminders of Malevich’s Suprematism, of the Cubism of Picasso (there is one there to make the comparison) of Leger and also of Miro within his work.
Within his war commissions, Piper became fascinated by bombed out buildings and this work, Ruined Victorian House, Lansdowne, Bath really stood out.
The way the broken tree lies across the foreground gives the impression that it is blocking our path and the stump is the guard preventing safe passage. The house glows in the evening light, but it is empty of all life.
Really pleased I went back for a second visit today -hoorah for Tate Membership!!
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