Blog Post 2


            When we went to the Imperial War Museum, I noticed a large painting in the exhibit on World War II. It was called “Shipbuilding on the Clyde,” and it was painted by Stanley Spencer. From the plaque in the museum I learned that the War Artists’ Advisory Committee sent Stanley Spencer to the Lithgows Shipyard in Port Glasgow. He was sent there to specifically to paint the work being done on the Clyde.
            From what I read at the museum, Stanley Spencer enjoyed painting that the shipyard. Apparently the workers appreciated what he was doing. He even ended up painting himself into the art piece. The piece detailed shipyard workers welding and highlighted teamwork of the workforce. It shows all the workers united by a common mission.
            This art piece by Stanley Spencer related to the presentation I contributed to in class the same day we went to the Imperial War Museum. My part of the presentation discussed the War Artists’ Advisory Committee’s role in portraying London and the United Kingdom during and after World War II.  The War Artists’ Advisory Committee hired artists and strategically had them paint certain things throughout the war and gave them a set of guidelines to abide by.  These artworks then served as a form of propaganda. The art would show London and the United Kingdom as strong and united even though the people were actually struggling and facing very dire living conditions.





https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/25151
https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/turning-points-1934-1945

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