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Kenneth Rowntree 'Tractor' School Print

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Kenneth Rowntree 'Tractor' School Print

Kenneth Rowntree 'Tractor' School Print

Item No.
117942

      • Product Description: Featuring an illustration from the artist Kenneth Rowntree this original lithograph is part of the 'School Prints' series - a series of lithographs produced in the 1940's with the intention of bringing contemporary art to young children.

        Signed in plate.
        Vintage lithograph from the original printing by the Baynard Press.
        Limited quantity available.

        School Prints was one of the most important post-war art schemes. Set up in 1945 by Brenda Rawnsley, School Prints aimed to commission colour lithographs from well-known artists which would then be printed in bulk and sold at a low cost to schools subscribing to the scheme; the goal was to provide children with direct and continuous contact with real works of art. Although the scheme ended in 1949 due to financial problems, it stands as a unique achievement in giving children access to original works of art in a time of austerity.

        The School Prints epitomise, and were inspired by, the atmosphere of optimism of post-war Britain that peaked at the 1951 Festival of Britain: the future was what mattered, and children were effectively Britain's future. As such, the prevailing spirit of the prints is one of quiet celebration; most of the scenes depict a familiar, everyday world of work and occasional celebration, with no reference to the devastation of the recent war.

        Rowntree (1915 -1997) studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, and at the Slade. Besides teaching at the RCA (1949-58) and at Newcastle (1959-80), he was a considerable muralist and did some illustrations. As a muralist Rowntree understood art for public spaces - 'it called for a maximum legibility from a distance, simplification and an instantly recognisable catalogue of images'. This approach, along with his interest in everyday scenes and his preference for flat frontal views, led to his School Print being one of the most popular. (2002, John Milner, Kenneth Rowntree, Lund Humphries).
Product Details
  • Dimensions: 49.5cm x 76cm
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Price:
£345.00
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