Swooping Down on a Taube from The Great War: Britain's Efforts and Ideals
Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson British
Not on view
Made shortly after Nevinson was named an official British war artist in 1917, Swooping Down on a Taube belongs to the series The Great War: Britain’s Efforts and Ideals, a government-sponsored, multi-artist propaganda series intended to be displayed around the country and sold to raise funds for the war effort. As part of his research, Nevinson flew over the English countryside—his first time in an airplane. The experience led him to later recall "the whole newness of vision and the excitement" it conjured, which had a profound impact on his work. Here, in a more somber image, he depicted a British plane attacking a German Taube, which, faintly visible at the bottom of the composition, is portrayed so as to resemble a bird.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
