David Jones Between The Wars

Sorry, no images today as I try to be good about copyrighted images!

But I've given you some google titles.

I went to a film at one of those little art-cinemas, "The Phoenix" in Oxford to see a film:

David Jones Between The Wars: The Years of Achievement (2012) 

This is the second film of a trilogy by Derek Shiel about David Jones' life. Derek was at the screening and gave an introduction and answered questions afterwards.

It showed his wonderful watercolour paintings, woodcuts and spoke about his literary achievements "In Parenthesis" for which he won the prestigious Hawthornden Award in 1938. I wonder if you, like me, really know him for his association with Eric Gill and his beautiful painted letters?

So, what was significant for me:

1) I was intrigued by his strong black and whites in his woodcuts and his wonderful use of bold contrasts – many woodcut artists have many uniform textures.

He tips perspective, plays with pattern and seems to control a busy, almost chaotic composition.

to see some of these (although I couldn't find the best ones) google: 

David Jones the deluge woodcut

2) David Jones' watercolours have a very light touch of soft rhythms and The Welsh paintings have more tipped perspectives and a sort of soft Cubist feel to them. In his later window views, once again we find this kind of chaotic detail and here there is no clear definition between the interior of the room and the outside as viewed through the window. His watercolours were a revelation to me because, coming from South Africa, my knowledge of English watercolourists were based around Turner and Constable and I found David Jones' work original and exquisite.

to see some of these (although again,  I couldn't find the best ones) google: 

David Jones artist painter poet.

I was not aware that his real enduring fame lies in his literary works or that he had a couple of breakdowns due to what is now recognised at Post war traumatic stress.

I am looking forward to seeing the work I had expected to see in the third film which still in the making - about his lettering. For this google: 

David Jones calligrapher

(The first film was In Search of David Jones: Artist, Soldier, Poet (2008), Derek Shiel)

 All in all, a pleasant afternoon with images which keep floating back into my head.

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