Paul Nash (artist)

For other people named Paul Nash, see Paul Nash.

Paul Nash
Nash in a woodcut self-portrait (1923)
Born(1889-05-11)11 May 1889
Kensington, London, England
Died11 July 1946(1946-07-11) (aged 57)
Boscombe, Dorset, England
Education
Known forPainting, printmaking
MovementSurrealism
Spouse
Margaret Theodosia Odeh
​
​
(m. 1914⁠–⁠1946)​

Paul Nash (11 May 1889 – 11 July 1946)[1] was a British surrealist painter and war artist, as well as a photographer, writer and designer of applied art. Nash was among the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century. He played a key role in the development of Modernism in English art.

Born in London, Nash grew up in Buckinghamshire where he developed a love of the landscape. He entered the Slade School of Art but was poor at figure drawing and concentrated on landscape painting.[2] Nash found much inspiration in landscapes with elements of ancient history, such as burial mounds, Iron Age hill forts such as Wittenham Clumps and the standing stones at Avebury in Wiltshire. The artworks he produced during World War I are among the most iconic images of the conflict. After the war Nash continued to focus on landscape painting, originally in a formalized, decorative style but, throughout the 1930s, in an increasingly abstract and surreal manner.[3] In his paintings he often placed everyday objects into a landscape to give them a new identity and symbolism.

During World War II, although sick with the asthmatic condition that would kill him, he produced two series of anthropomorphic depictions of aircraft, before producing a number of landscapes rich in symbolism with an intense mystical quality.[3] These have perhaps become among the best known works from the period. Nash was also a fine book illustrator, and also designed stage scenery, fabrics and posters.[4]

He was the older brother of the artist John Nash.[4]

  1. ^ "Paul Nash – British painter". Encyclopedia Britannica. 7 July 2023.
  2. ^ Stephen Farthing, ed. (2006). 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die. Cassell Illustrated/Quintessence. ISBN 978-1-84403-563-2.
  3. ^ a b Nikos Stangos (1985). The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-20274-5.
  4. ^ a b Ian Chilvers (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860476-9.