So the week started with the 24th January and as well as being my mothers birthday, scientist have also worked out a formula that suggests yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. The 24th is of course also the day that Sir Winston Churchill, whose home was Chartwell, passed away. With all these depressing fact I decided I would search our collections here in London and the South East for something which was a little brighter for my blog.
After giving it some thought it was obvious exactly which items from the collection would be excellent in marking not only the life of Sir Winston but also lifting spirits during a cold and depressing January. The one thing that sprung to mind was of course Churchills paintings.
A self portrait by Sir Winston Churchill painted around 1920. © National Trust / Charles Thomas
Winston Churchill discovered his love of painting in the Summer months following the disaster of the Dardanelles campaign, in which he had been deeply involved. From this time on, painting was an incredibly important part of Churchills life.
Churchill always found much pleasure painting in the South of France. © National Trust / Charles Thomas
He would even take his brush with him to Flanders in 1915 and paint the surroundings of his Battalion headquarters. Two places which also gave Churchill pleasure was the South of France and Marrakesh in Morocco, loving the brilliant light and glorious colours. Churchill himself talked both of his love of painting and bright colours.
He also painted several painting of Marrakesh in Morocco. © National Trust / Charles Thomas
“I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns. When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portions of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the sibject. But then I shall require a still gayer palette than I get here below. I expect orange and vermilion will be the darkest, dullest colours upon it, and beyond them there will be a whole range of wonderful new colours which will delight the celestial eye”.
- Valley in the South of France c.1935 © National Trust / Charles Thomas
Marrakesh c.1948 © National Trust / Charles Thomas
