Hale Lighthouse

WAG 1036

Information

A series of exhibitions entitled 'Recording Merseyside' was held in Liverpool immediately after the Second World War. This watercolour was shown in the third exhibition held at the Bluecoat Chambers in 1947. The geometry of this watercolour is constructed with such precision that it could be labelled as an architectural drawing. The viewer is given the impression that the structure of the lighthouse, which is the focus of the picture, is echoed in the overall structure of the composition itself. The emphasis on severe straight lines and a strict vertical/horizontal grid suggests human control of the environment and the urge to order the world. The curving forms which dominate the lower area, on the other hand, define the natural world. Through purely formal means the artist provides a comment on people's relation to nature.