East Anglia has inspired artists for many years. From Turner to Damien Hirst via Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Stanley Spencer and Lucian Freud - Southwold has drawn some of the biggest names in British art. It seemed appropriate then to hang some high quality art work in the Far View apartments. All the artists and photographers whose work is displayed have strong associations with the area.
These include Edward Bawden one of the twentieth century’s best known graphic artists, his son Richard who produced some atmospheric images of the town, through to Derrick Greaves one of the main stays of the ‘Kitchen Sink School’. Edward Bawden’s work includes lino prints from his Morte D’Arthur series. There are five works by Derrick Greaves in Far View 2.
Chloe Cheese, one of Britain’s best loved commercial illustrators is represented in both apartments. She has illustrated several books of poetry by the Liverpool poets including Roger McGough and Michel Rosen. There are three of her works in Far View 1 and a particularly fine lithograph ‘Breakfast Room at the Sir John Soane Museum’ in Far View 2.
The large woodcut ‘A Splash in the Pant’ is by Richard Bawden, son of Edward Bawden. This print, in Far View 2, is interesting because it shows two couples skinny dipping in the River Pant, watched by the local policeman. The couples are his father, Edward Bawden and his wife Charlotte and Eric Ravilious and his wife Tirzah. They rented the Brick House in the 1930’s. Edward Bawden’s father subsequently bought Brick House, at Great Bardfield, Essex for Edward as a wedding present.
Michael Rothenstein, born 1908, was a popular and brilliant print-maker as well as an excellent painter, and one of the central figures in the renaissance in British print-making that took place just after the Second World War and through the Fifties and Sixties. His work is represented by woodcuts from his parrot and cockerel series.
Tessa Beaver is represented by the large New England series etchings in both apartments, and the large abstracts in Far View 1.
There are original photographs from Stephen Wolfenden’s books ‘To the Town’ and ‘The Town Revisited’. When the first book of photographs was published in 1988 they were acclaimed by Michael Palin as capturing the energy and spirit of the Town. “This collection of photographs reveals in an original, honest and unfussy way what really makes Southwold work.” John and David Wells are also represented with some unusual views of the west side of the town, the Common and the marshes.
The Sculpture under the oak tree in the front Garden is of Ned Kelly – the Australian outlaw. This was purchased at a post graduate show at Norwich School of Art in the 1980’s. The ‘Old Couple’, who are usually placed in the front garden of Langford Lodge during the summer months are by Jessica Perry and were purchased at her graduate show at Norwich School of Art.
