Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

Weathercote Cave

© the Piper Estate / DACS 2024. Image credit: Southwark Art Collection

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

One of the most versatile artists of the twentith century, John Piper changed his medium, style and subject throughout his career. Although his work is often associated with Neo-Romanticism, Piper rejected the term and the restrictions of such a label. However, he often implied that he would be happy to continue the Romantic tradition of British art. Piper was born in Epsom in 1903. He first trained to be a solicitor like his father. After failing the law exam he went on to study art at Richmond School of Art and then the Royal College of Art. His fascination with ruins allowed him to become an Official War Artist during the Second World War, documenting the effects of the bombings on England’s architectural heritage. In 1943 he took inspiration from rock formations and visited the caves of Yorkshire. Before his visits he would assemble all available literary descriptions and illustrations. Noted as the most picturesque of the Yorkshire caves, Weathercote Cave is a rocky chasm with an 80 foot waterfall at the far end. Above the waterfall hangs a boulder, wedged into place. The arrangement of the cave lent itself to Piper’s penchant for dramatic perspectives. It would later serve as the subject of a lithograph by Piper in 1944.

Southwark Heritage Centre

London

Title

Weathercote Cave

Date

1943

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 63.5 x W 45.7 cm

Accession number

GA0050

Acquisition method

purchased from the artist, 1952

Work type

Painting

Tags

This artwork does not have any tags yet. You can help by tagging artworks on Tagger.

Southwark Heritage Centre

Walworth Road, London, Greater London SE17 1RY England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue