British wood engraver and watercolour artist Eric Ravilious is deeply connected to the V&A – from his early years training at the Royal College of Art, the careerlong inspiration he gained from studying the diverse collections, through to his granddaughter, Ella, who works as a curator at the museum.

In this film, Ella takes us on a personal journey through Eric's life, exploring the techniques he learnt and mastered, his influential creative connections, the artists and designers he admired and studied, his favourite subjects to depict, the landscapes he loved and the adventures he had as an official war artist in World War II.

00:00 Who is Eric Ravilious?
00:38 Education at Eastbourne School of Art and The Royal College of Art
02:03 Inspiration from artist and tutor Paul Nash
02:18 Discovering wood engraving, learning from Paul Nash
04:24 Influence of Samuel Palmer
06:08 Eric's woodblocks
08:12 Thomas Bewick's animal prints
08:50 Life after graduation and meeting Tirzah Garwood
10:33 The Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden
11:07 Ravilious' scrapbook of drawings and watercolours
11:18 Drawings of costumes from the V&A
12:51 Fireworks, Wedgwood , James II and Mary of Modena
17:44 The Morley College Mural design, featuring many Tirzah's!
20:10 Eric and Tirzah move to Great Bardfield, Essex, with Edward Bawden and his wife, Charlotte
20:47 Visits to art school friend Peggy Angus at Furlongs in the Sussex Downs
22:06 Famous painting Tea at Furlongs
22:34 The very British weather depicted in The Long Man of Wilmington
24:00 Clashing patterns in a Welsh farmhouse bedroom watercolour
25:34 Mont Blanc by Francis Towne sparking a love for other landscapes
26:20 Eric becomes a war artist during World War II
26:34 Recording RAF activity in watercolour and drawing
27:31 Eric's fateful trip to Iceland

Explore Eric Ravilious objects in the V&A collections: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/...

Discover more in our Print collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/print

See more from our Watercolour collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/wat...

Buy the V&A book 'Eric Ravilious: Landscape and Nature': https://www.vam.ac.uk/shop/books/eric...