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Building Aircraft: In the Air (from the series `The Great War: Britain?s Efforts and Ideals?)
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? the Artist's Estate / Bridgeman Art Library. All rights reserved.

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Building Aircraft: In the Air (from the series `The Great War: Britain?s Efforts and Ideals?) Dated 1917 (published 1918)
This print is from a portfolio series commissioned by the Bureau of Information, called `The Great War: Britain?s Efforts and Ideals?. Twelve artists made prints relating to the `Ideals? involved in going to war, and Nevinson was one of the nine artists commissioned to depict the `Efforts? associated with war. This is the fourth of Nevinson?s six prints, which show the process of building an aeroplane, from making parts, to assembly, and finally to flight. Looking over a patchwork of fields, the image conveys a feeling of freedom, far removed from the horrors of the trenches. Aerial warfare played a new and important role during the First World War. Nevinson shows the view from a two-seater plane, in which the observer or gunner sits in front of the pilot.

Glossary Open

Commission

When an individual or organisation employs an artist to execute a particular project, the process and the resulting work are termed a `commission?.

Portfolio

A group of art works, by one or more artists, issued or housed together in a portfolio case. This often applies to photographs or prints, and portfolios often include a title page or introductory text. The term is also used to describe a group of works which exemplify an artist's work overall.

Print

An image pressed or stamped onto paper or fabric. This encompasses a wide variety of techniques, usually produced in multiples, although one-off prints, known as monoprints, are also included. The term is also applied to photographic images.

Commission, Portfolio, Print

Details

  • Acc. No. GMA 456 D
  • Medium Lithograph on paper
  • Size 40.50 x 30.00 cm (paper 47.60 x 37.90 cm)
  • Credit Presented by the Ministry of Information 1919

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