3 February
–
23 April 2006
Section
1: Defining DocumentaryWilliam Coldstream 1908-1987
On The Map 1937
© Estate of the Artist
In this painting, made while working for Mass-Observation, Coldstream shows fellow artist Graham Bell standing holding a map, and his friend Igor Anrep sitting on the ground. Seen from behind, they look out across the landscape, apparently unaware of the painter's presence. The canvas was painted entirely on the spot and is remarkable in the degree of realism and control it achieves. While Coldstream adhered very strictly to a system of objective representation, he did however acknowledge that his methods were ultimately unscientific and that 'the most realistic painting can be nothing like reality.'
Learn more about this
work in the Tate Collection