Watercolour and ink on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/edward-ardizzone-659" aria-label="More by Edward Ardizzone" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Edward Ardizzone</a>
Priest Begging a Lift in Louvain May 1940
Presented by the War Artists Advisory Committee 1946
actions: expressive
actions: postures and motions
adults
animals: mammals
architecture
arm / arms raised
Belgium
Belgium, fall, May 1940
body
bomb damage
cities, towns, villages (non-UK)
clergyman
corpse
countries and continents
dog - non-specific
embracing
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
family
fleeing
gesticulating
government and politics
history
Louvain - non-specific
man
military: World War II
mother and child
people
places
refugee
religious
ruins
society
standing
street
townscapes / man-made features
victim
woman
work and occupations
paper unique watercolour ink
Priest Begging a Lift in Louvain, May 1940
support: 241 × 308 mm
Presented by the War Artists Advisory Committee 1946
<p><b>N05671</b>	PRIEST BEGGING A LIFT IN LOUVAIN, MAY 1940 1940
<br/> </p>
<p>Inscr. ‘EA’ b.r.</p>
<p>Watercolour, pen and ink (sight), 9 1/2×12 1/8 (24×30·5).
<br/>Presented by the War Artists' Advisory Committee 1946.
<br/><i>Exh:</i> <i>National War Pictures</i>, National Gallery, 1940 (no catalogue).
<br/><i>Lit:</i> Douglas Cooper, ‘War Artists’ Exhibition at the National Gallery' in <i>Burlington Magazine</i>, LXXVII, 1940, p.133.
<br/><i>Repr:</i> <i>British War Artists</i> (issued by the National Gallery for the Ministry of Information), 1940, n.p.; Sir John Rothenstein, <i>British Art since 1900</i>, 1962, pl.24.</p>
<p>Captain Ardizzone, as one of the first Official <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/war-artists" title="Glossary definition for 'War Artists'"><span>War Artists</span></a> in 1940, was with the British Expeditionary Force at the time of the German advance through Holland and Belgium. In a letter to the compiler he wrote (7 October 1959): ‘Our troops had just retreated from the town [Louvain] having blown the bridges across the railway line. Enemy patrols were expected at any moment. The priest was not begging a lift for himself but for the few poor stragglers that remained. The town had been very intensively bombed by the Germans which accounted for the total exodus of its people.’</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, <i>The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture</i>, London 1964, I</p>
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Catalogue entry
2004-10-08T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
actions: expressive actions: postures and motions adults animals: mammals architecture arm / arms raised Belgium Belgium, fall, May 1940 body bomb damage cities, towns, villages (non-UK) clergyman corpse countries and continents dog - non-specific embracing emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas family fleeing gesticulating government and politics history Louvain - non-specific man military: World War II mother and child people places refugee religious ruins society standing street townscapes / man-made features victim woman work and occupations