I stumbled across some of the work of British painter Eric Ravilious (1903 – 1942) this last week and was struck by the simplicity and beauty of his style.
He loved painting the English scenery in particular.
Similarly, the idea of Deep England is focused on the England of the village church and the manor house, the maypole and the inn, the stone circle and the hedgerow. It is a place of stillness and peace. The landscapes of Deep England are beautiful and sometimes wild, but never overwhelming. Except in a few cases, it has never been a conscious ideology. However, it is undoubtedly there, as a powerful background for many of our artists, an unmistakeable vision of the country as something very ancient, with a distinct charm, a specific atmosphere.
Ravilious died at 39.
He got on a plane in Iceland to search for another missing plane and was never seen again.
Here are a few of this paintings to enjoy:
