Decorative Designs
Edmund and Alec were each possessed by a strong and personal artistic vision that combined with a restless creative energy that meant that their pencils and paint pigments were rarely still. For Edmund these designs often featured birds and animals against a vivid background of trees and mystical landscapes. A master of allegory Edmund’s designs told stories; animals his actors. Alec, who trained under Ernest Jackson at the Byam Shaw School in London became intrigued by ideas of ‘flow’ and ‘movement’ and this vitality is evident in much of his work including designs such as DEERLEAP (1929), THE PALIO (1928) and COEUR DE LION (1928). Alec’s work also told stories but his actors, mostly human, were often engaged in heroic physical endeavour.
Here we showcase just a few of the designs they left us.
