War Artist...

[unknown date]:

A Bouncy hefty daughter was born about 1.30 this morning…. Talk about excitement! I thumped Grock telling him it was a girl, but he was not impressed!”

13th Feb 1942:

42 planes lost

13th Feb 1942:

Stretched canvas and prepared with ground 30x50 for the Portsmouth subject of “Revenge” leaving after bombardment.

19th Feb 1942:

Nan Kivell says he would be pleased to be godfather to Caroline

[unknown date]:

The Vaagso raid was a very quiet affair. I can’t remember a great deal about it. I was given full details about this stealing up through the fjords in Norway to destroy certain enemy installations. I don’t understand the technical side of it, but the Germans were making heavy water whatever that may be, something apparently very dangerous up in Norway. And they wanted to destroy this affair. This painting was very much liked by people who had taken part in the raid which rather surprised me.

21st Apr 1942:

Caroline’s christening in the house… Vivien godmother. Mr Pope conducted the ceremony with his usual quietness and benevolence.

[unknown date]:

Telegram from Marcantonio a model congratulating him…. A tradition to give him a guinea.

12th May 1942:

ARA ceremony. “Old Lutyens looked a bit motheaten” “Bought book on Catalan Art to celebrate the occasion.”

12th May 1942:

First to Redfern Gallery to discuss what to send to the Russian Show at the Wallace Collection.

15th May 1942:

15 May

Started Portsmouth night bombing picture (30x50). This is going to be the hell of a job, and no mistake, and will certainly take some weeks.

28 June

After much crosstalk and criticizing etc. etc., we decided that the ‘Portsmouth Night Raid’ painting must be considered finished.

20 August

Portsmouth picture won’t pass the censor at present. Damn it!

28th May 1942:

Nan Kivell sent a funny old painting for Crispin.

28th May 1942:

To London: Press Day at new room, of War Artists’ pictures. My painting of the ‘Ayres Rescue’ looks better than I had hoped and attracted a good deal of attention. Photo of me standing by it!

1st Jun 1942:

On the way home [from West Moors] called at ‘Blinkbonnie’ in Ringwood ….. We hope to send Crispin there in September.

11th Jun 1942:

Painting hard all day. Short break at noon to give Crispin his carpentry lesson. Caroline going on fine. She responds to all sorts of fun now and Crispin seems to be a favourite with her.

22nd Jun 1942:

Attended first RA general meeting.

Nevinson sat at the back in state giving vent to ironical “Hear Hears” or “Chuck him out!”. Dugdale pompous about his ability to hang a show and careful underlining that he isn’t concerned about his pictures, they would look after themselves.

23rd Jun 1942:

Rex gave me another picture of rabbits for Crispin.

27th Jun 1942:

While having tea on the side lawn, Mavis had Caroline on her knee. Suddenly her face crumpled up and she started howling. We couldn’t think what was the matter, and then realised that Crispin with his bike and Toby the bear on it had vanished behind our chairs. So we asked him to come back, and immediately she beamed broad smiles and laughed and jumped up and down. Crispin then pedalled out of sight and she started howling again!

28th Jun 1942:

After much crosstalk and criticizing etc. etc., we decided that the ‘Portsmouth Night Raid’ painting must be considered finished. It was started on the 15^th May.

30th Jun 1942:

Letter from Thomas da Sancha wanting to see me concerning my war pictures. He is writing the introduction to a catalogue for Latin America.

This is a reference to the exhibition planned for Brazil. The exhibition did not take place, however, because all the pictures were lost at sea when the ship taking them there was torpedoed.

3rd Jul 1942:

Kenneth Clark's dinner for Dickey’s retirement as secretary to the War Artists’ Committee.

. . . I enjoyed it all thoroughly.

9th Jul 1942:

Tirpitz torpedoed. 

. . . Let’s hope it will be put out of action for a bit.

18th Jul 1942:

Began again after 2yrs the Two Bridges at low tide (24x42)

8th Aug 1942:

A charming letter from Gleadowe from the Admiralty saying how pleased the war artists’ committee are with the three latest paintings (Portsmouth Blitz, Vaagso, and Rescue of Shipwrecked Crew by Destroyer) and that if I had heard the remarks made I would be most encouraged, and they consider themselves lucky to have such a painter. So this is good news after a day of profound depression. I am considering painting a head of Mozart on an old cupboard panel . . .

11th Aug 1942:

"Head of Enver" by Epstein for Mavis’ 35^th birthday for £75 . . . looks magnificent. We are lucky to have it.

29th Aug 1942:

Busy on the Prodigal Son transcription on old table top. After Rembrandt’s picture in the Hermitage. To be called “Meditation on a theme of Rembrandt” [but became known as "The Prodigal Son, after Rembrandt", the title in the Redfern catalogue.]

11th Sep 1942:

Spent some hours going over Dieppe maps and operations

13th Sep 1942:

Taking a busman’s holiday and painting a few small works for the Redfern and my own edification.

2nd Oct 1942:

Prepared large panel for “Dieppe” three-ply, 4ft x nearly 6ft.(Finished 25^th March, 1943)

10th Oct 1942:

Stalingrad still holding out after about 6 weeks’ fighting.

A complicated situation has arisen with regard to the treatment of prisoners of war.

[unknown date]:

Started painting a little head of a Refugee who has been through internment camps. 12x8 app [Refugee (1942)]

12th Oct 1942:

Crispin off back to boarding school…‘ Crispin was very brave and I hope will settle down alright at school, otherwise I am afraid he can’t come home for weekends.

20th Oct 1942:

Started small painting of Grock on wood, had to stop because of poor light.

22nd Oct 1942:

War paintings at National Gallery:

My painting of ‘Vaagso’ and ‘Destroyer Rescuing Shipwrecked Crew’ were hung between Henry Moore’s Coal Mine drawings so they looked rather well. Sir Kenneth Clark asked me how I liked the hanging. Had my photo taken by the press in front of Vaagso.

Took two new heads (clown in Home Guard, and Jew from Dachau) to Redfern. They were liked very much.

25th Oct 1942:

25 Oct

Started a small painting from one of Wadsworth’s pictures, making alterations where I feel like it. [The Hammock (1942)]

27 Oct

Finished the ‘Wadsworth’ picture. I wonder what he will think of my ‘improvements’.

28th Oct 1942:

Details of new mosquito bomber out today. The surprising thing . . . is its wood construction.

10th Jan 1943:

Crispin had adenoids and tonsils out.

17th Jan 1943:

Rommel has retreated 50 miles in Tripolitania.

Started Crispin off on learning chess.

18th Jan 1943:

The 16 month Siege of Leningrad is raised.

This must be one of the most triumphant stands in history!

21st Jan 1943:

Graham Sutherland show (at the National Gallery?)

. . . paintings of the mines which are magnificent. One of a miner coming out of a mine with another shaft underneath was astounding.

11th Feb 1943:

Churchill’s statement in the Commons with regard to the Casablanca conference. He seems to think the U-boat menace, great as it is, should not be exaggerated, can only delay the final victory.

11th Feb 1943:

Worked a bit on Revenge leaving Portsmouth. Probably finished.

Someone wants me to paint a dog like Grock. What next? kittens? [He had already painted Grock his dalmation]

31st Mar 1943:

To Admiralty

Dieppe Landing (48x68), HMS Revenge leaving Portsmouth (30x50), MGBs Attacking at Night (13x30), Survivors on Upturned Boat(14x24)

To Redfern

Yorks. Landscape with Waterfall (13x19), Sewing Box with Caroline’s Photo (12x14), Nude with Cat (12x16), Yorks. Coast Scene, Evening (7x16), Swans at Abbotsbury (12x13 1/2), Fisherman (or ‘men’?) Landing Coble (10x14), Crucifix (61/2x10).

31st Mar 1943:

Framing is a problem as professional framing is not allowed. So I am either cutting old ones down, or making them out of odds and ends of scrap wood from the Power Boat Co.

2nd Apr 1943:

Rex N.K. thought the ‘Dieppe’ should go to the RA so phoned up about getting frame cut down [during the War, frame-making was not allowed] and let the Censor see it and get it delivered on Monday.

2nd Apr 1943:

Took large Dieppe painting, and a number of others up to London on [the roof of!] the car.

22nd Apr 1943:

. . . went to the RA and saw the hanging.’Dieppe’ is hung and framed well, and looks better than I expected it to look. Everyone is in a good humour. Was introduced to Laura Knight, L. Birch, Harold Knight etc. Found Laura more pleasant than I expected her to be.

23rd Apr 1943:

RA Elections

We had a terrific struggle to keep James Gunn out . . . we managed to get Wadsworth and Edward Le Bas elected . . . The winking and back-slapping at the back was entertaining.

30th Apr 1943:

Preview at the Royal Academy

Met and chatted to all sorts of people. Kelly says he wants the Chantry Bequest to buy Port Musgrave. John Rothenstein supports this.

[unknown date]:

Dieppe

It's full of fireworks, bombs cropping in the water and whatnot. I had a very curious sensation when I was doing this because I always remembered - it may seem rather far-fetched - the opera ‘The Magic Flute’ of Mozart in which the hero has to go through fire and water before he’s allowed to see his bride. And this effect, a sort of architectural feeling of fire and water, and only very much in the distance can you see anything happening on the land in Dieppe.

3rd May 1943:

Press Cuttings about the RA show

The Times thinks Dieppe highly romanticized. The Observer (Osbert Lancaster) thinks it would gain in impressiveness if it was half the size and a steel engraving. Some engraving!

4th May 1943:

Planning Great North African Convoy. (30x50)

Only £5 in hand . . .

5th May 1943:

The six two month old pullets arrived and got them into their quarters safely.

11th May 1943:

In the afternoon a landing craft of perhaps 2.000 tons did some rehearsals on Weymouth beach. Looking like a huge Bruegel whale  disgorging vehicles. I have not seen one of such size before. MTBs and GBs buzzing about flaunting their plumes.

12th May 1943:

All organized resistance has ceased in Tunisia

a truly remarkable and astonishing campaign

17th May 1943:

Attack by the RAF on 2 large dams in Germany

17th May 1943:

making decisions over a 2^nd version of the North African Convoy

18th May 1943:

Father in a difficult mood, something between a bear and a spoilt child. It must be very trying for Mother.