“There was a need to break from the absorbing burden… not by resting or withdrawing from the world, but by participating in a completely different, but equally exciting activity.”
He had the opportunity to admire the richest collection of paintings collected in the ancestral castle as a descendant of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (Blendheim Palace). Raphael Santi, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, and Hans Holbein the Younger were among the artists represented. Due to the family’s deteriorating financial situation, the collection was sold between 1884 and 1886.
Churchill, who owned high positions in the British government and its army, confirmed that he was happy to exchange all of this for painting at times.
Winston’s hobby was especially productive in the twentieth century. He painted so many landscapes in England, Egypt, and Jerusalem. And these are masterfully executed works, you can feel the passion for hobby, a professorial approach to material and method selection. His style is defined by impressionism as well as thoroughness of study, accuracy of brushstroke, and realistic reproduction.
This man, in addition to being a good writer, politician, and speaker, was also a talented painter. Furthermore, he was nominated for and received the Nobel Prize several times. He functioned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War and for five years afterward. You probably guessed that I am talking about Winston Churchill. He began drawing at a late age (he was forty years old), but it is safe to say that he mastered the craft.
He has over 500 paintings to his name, including numerous landscapes, interiors, and paintings. Consider the image below, which most likely depicts Cezanne. Personally, I enjoy the famous image of the Kutopia Tower because it warms my body and transfers me to an oriental fairy tale in my mind. During the six years of the war, this was the only painting created by him (from 1939 to 1945). Churchill, however, resumed his favorite hobby after resigning. He painted as many as 15 canvases in 25 days while on vacation in Italy!
Tower of Koutoubia Mosque
He sent his paintings to Paris for evaluation in total secrecy, and 5 of them were chosen for the exhibition. Winston Churchill was able to take a break from the hustle and bustle by drawing. In this manner he took a break from politics.
Churchill’s paintings were praised by art experts. Some of his works have received first-place awards in prestigious international exhibitions. Winston, of course, demonstrated his paintings completely anonymously. He was even made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Arts, but under a fictitious name.
We cannot deny the master’s talent, no matter how we respect him as a politician or as a person. I see a childlike spontaneity, openness, and joy in this artist’s perception, as well as his love for nature and his very existence in this beautiful world.
Over the years, Churchill started easier to relate to his passion for painting. His two works can be compared to the image of fish in the Chartwell pond (the estate where he lived with his wife from 1922 until his death in 1965). The same can be said for Chartwells landscapes.
Composition, color, choice of graphical materials, and execution all show the author’s tiredness. Churchill, of course, lived a long exciting life. He had good health, despite the fact that he took no care of it (cigars, alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle). Most likely, he no longer attempted to work out his paintings in a filigree manner. He had lost interest in this.
By the way, many of his paintings (canvas prints) you can buy on Lavelart
.
