In the years preceding World War II, Kokoschka was declared a ‘degenerate’ artist by the Nazis, forcing him to flee Austria before moving to Britain in 1938. He remained there for the duration of the war. The Portwilliam Sketchbook is one of two volumes produced by Kokoschka during his exile, on trips to Elgin and Port William in Scotland. This sketchbook contains ten loose drawings of rural and farmyard animals. Each one is depicted in bright, coloured pencil, marked out by the artist in his characteristic, energetic style.