Paul Nash
Finally, I got to see the Paul Nash exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery, among its final days. Previously, I was aware of Nash, but didn’t know enough about him to call myself a fan.
The publicity used a reproduction of Totes Meer, perhaps one of Nash’s most famous works, but not necessarily one of his best. The painting is not without merits however. It is a very powerful piece, full of atmosphere and sadness. I think it was a very intelligent decision by Nash to depict the sea as some kind of crazy jigsaw puzzle made of broken bits of aeroplane. This painting, which I was familiar with prior to my visit to the gallery, was called to mind as I stood on a beach in Cornwall at new year, looking at the angular, harsh waves with their tones and hues of cold blue and as I stared out to sea, Totes Meer is the painting that I was remembering.
Painted as the Blitz was at its peak, to me, this work shows us the utter devastation of war. Nash was appointed an official war artist and instead of offering us representations of what was happening in our skies, on our land or giving us portraits of the heroes of war, his depiction the broken, fragile, useless segments of aircraft as a metaphor for the waves of the sea, somehow manages to instil a feeling of desolation, of loneliness and of the futility of war. Standing in front of this painting meant that I was no longer just located in a gallery, I could practically smell the kerosene oil he used as light to paint by. Instead I was living in an emotion, and that, to me, is the essence of “good”art.
There are plenty of paintings in this exhibition that don’t depict or relate to the war, of course. His photographs, prints and sketches all make for fascinating viewing. I must confess though that I didn’t like everything included here, but each to their own. It was still a very worthwhile exhibition, and one that over a week later I’m still thinking about.