HIGH STREET 1938

Eric Ravilious made this print called “High Street” and it’s a place I would really love to hang out for a while. The limited palette of blues, browns, and peachy pinks feels very considered, like each colour was carefully chosen, and then placed with the minimum of fuss. I love how flat it is, the textures and shadows are suggested with lines and hatching rather than gradients. I can really imagine Ravilious drawing directly onto the block and the print has a really handmade feel to it. The lines of the awning match those in the ground. They are solid and unwavering, giving a sense of permanence to this otherwise transient moment. This piece reminds me of Edward Bawden’s paintings of shopfronts. I am always fascinated by the way that artists can take something ordinary, like a street scene, and turn it into something extraordinary. I wonder what kind of stories this shopfront has to tell?