Artists & Illustrators - UK (2021-04)

Anillustrative,Impressioniststyle

andafascinationwiththeroles

peopleplay helpedthispioneering

paintermakehermark,saysMore

ThanAMuseauthorKATIEMCCABE

Dame

Laura

Knight

A

s Britishmenweresentto

thetrenchesinthe1940s,

thousandsofwomenwere

alsoconscripted,takingthemen’s

placesasambulancedrivers,air-raid

wardensandmunitionsfactory

workers.Suddenly,womenwerebeing

calledupontoplugthegapinthe

economybytakinguprolesthatwere

previouslyofflimitstothem.

Tostirupurgentpatriotismforthis

“warwork”,theBritishgovernment’s

WarArtists’AdvisoryCommittee

commissionedartists’helptoget

theirmessageacross.Oneofthem

wasDameLauraKnight,whocame

fromlittle,yetwentontobecomeone

ofthemostwell-knownpaintersof

mid-20th-centuryBritain.

In1943,Knightsetuphereasel

intheRoyalOrdnanceFactoryin

NewporttopaintRubyLoftus,a

20-year-oldwomanwhohad,injusta

fewmonths,learnedhowtocomplete

themosthighlyskilledjobingun

production.DameLaura’sRuby

LoftusScrewinga BreechRingshows

theworkerlookingunbotheredasthe

sparksfromthegrindingmetalparts

throwlightontoherface.Dottedin

thebackground,weseea cohortof

womenjustlikeRuby,scrubbing,

toiling,fixingmachinerywithoutglory,

inthesameblueoverallsand

hairnets.Whenit wascomplete,

RubyLoftus...wasturnedintogiant

motivationalposterstobedisplayed

infactories.Thepurposemayhave

beenpropaganda,butthepainting

playedintoa keyinterestinDame

Laura’swork:therolespeopleplay,

andwhytheydothem.Throughout

hercareer,shewaspreoccupiedwith

thebackstagescenesoflife–

whetherthatwaspaintingballerinas

intheirdressingrooms,clowns

scheminginrehearsal,orfactory

workersattheirmachines.“Everybody

lovedher,everybodytooktoher,

becauseshewassointerestedin

whattheydid,intheirownright,”says

DameLaura’sbiographerDrBarbara

C Morden.“Asanartist,shewasnot

precious,sheadmiredeveryonefor

whattheydid,andif theyhada skill,

shewantedtoknowaboutit.”

Thepreoccupationwithsuchroles

mayhavestemmedfromthefactthat

theartistwassoclearaboutherown.

LauraJohnsonwasborninDerbyshire

in 1877 andenrolledatNottingham

SchoolofArtbytheageof13.Sheis

thoughttohavebeenitsyoungest

everstudentandhermother

Charlottetaughtthere.Knight’sfather

hadabandonedthefamilynotlong

afterLaurawasborn,leavingher

mothertoraisethreechildrenalone

ART HISTORY

ABOVE The Cornish

Coast, oil on

canvas, 65x76cm

AMGUEDDFA GENEDLAETHOL CYMRU (NATIONAL MUSEUM WALES). © REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF THE ESTATE OF DAME LAURA KNIGHT DBE RA 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES