Painters in their places: Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the artists of Great Bardfield

The final instalment of three linked online sessions exploring in detail distinct artists/artistic schools which drew for inspiration on gardens, garden design and planting, but impacted in different ways on textiles, fashion and culture more broadly. Focusing mainly on the English experience but including in the first session a pairing of English and Spanish (Sargent and Sorolla) with further reference to French impressionists in England. The aim of the classes is to explore the ways in which gardens and design integrate into other aspects of culture and arts by focusing on specific examples.

Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the artists of Great Bardfield: Gardens, Landscapes, Heritage and Textiles (c. 1920s-1970s). Taking inspiration from the wide range of paintings, prints, posters and book illustrations by Bawden and Ravilious we will explore the links with gardens from Great Bardfield to Kew, Bawden’s work with garden furnishings and his Garden Diary. We will also reference the artists group at Benton End ‘led’ by Cedric Morris and the impact of war on the portrayal of landscape and garden. This is the last in a series of three mornings examining different artists and their relationship with gardens and other aspects of culture.

Dr Twigs Way is a garden historian, writer and researcher. She is fascinated by the past and intrigued by the role of flowers, gardens and landscape in art and culture of all kinds. Her talks and books reflect that endless curiosity, with themes of symbolism and meaning, class and gender, art and literature, and her desire to follow unknown paths towards the unexpected. From gnomes in Neasden to hollyhocks from the Holy Land, every plant has a tale to tell, every garden a past. Twigs is the Director of MA/PhD in Garden History at the University of Buckingham, as well as a consultant and lecturer in Historic Designed Gardens and Landscapes.