painting, Study for a Mural
Report a Mistake- Object Number 19710261-0482
- Event 1914-1919 First World War
- Affiliation --
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer Munnings, Sir Alfred James
- Date Made 1918-1919
- Category Communication artifacts
- Sub-category Art
- Department Art and Memorials
- Museum CWM
- Earliest 1918/01/01
- Latest 1919/12/31
- Medium oil
- Support paper
- Materials Not applicable
- Branch Canadian Army Medical Corps
- Service Component Canadian Expeditionary Force
- Measurements Height 75.0 cm, Width 160.0 cm
- Caption Sir Alfred Munnings: The Artist
- Additional Information Alfred John Munnings (1878-1959) was one of England's most popular painters. He achieved renown as one of England's finest painters of horses. A man of humble origins, he initially was an observer of upper class life while depicting scenes of rural activities. The First World War brought his career to an important turning point. His engagement by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund led to a series of prestigious post-war commissions. He was accepted in the homes of Britain's most illustrious families. He was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art, became its president, and was knighted. Nevertheless, he remained in touch with his roots and the common folk. Munnings, in the 20th Century, represented traditions in British painting that dated back to the 17th Century, notable relating to sporting pictures (frequently centred upon horses) and rural landscapes.
- Caption Study for a Mural
- Additional Information It is uncertain as to what concept was behind the proposed mural. It may have been intended for the special gallery envisaged for the War Memorials Collection by Lord Beaverbrook but never constructed.
- Caption Study for a Mural
- Additional Information Painted by Alfred Munnings between 1918 and 1919. British artist Alfred Munnings' painting depicts a line of soldiers and horses transporting the wounded. A white-veiled nurse in a blue uniform leads the procession. Munnings began painting for the Canadian War Memorials Fund in 1918. He was attached to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade for part of his service and was later celebrated for his paintings of horses. He reminisced that “no artist had been given a better chance to paint in such unforeseen circumstances.”