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One of a group of 11 oil paintings by Eurich, an official war artist, allocated to the National Maritime Museum after the Second World War. HMS 'Revenge', a battleship of the North Atlantic escort force, is portrayed top right, sailing out of Portsmouth harbour with a destroyer in escort. The artist has used aerial perspective to create a dramatic image and to demonstrate the extent of bomb damage to the city. The ship, sleek and serene, is lined with sailors on its decks, as together with its escort it leaves the harbour. They are surrounded by a blaze of brilliant light to signify hope and act as a contrast with the scene ashore. Portsmouth suffered considerable war damage during the blitzes of 1941. Based on first-hand observation, Eurich also used photographs to create this impression of the effects of war.
The sign 'Sailor's Rest' is visible to the bottom right, and on the wall of another building in the foreground the letter 'V' for victory is scratched on a wall. Nearby, the words 'Good Old Bubbles', refer to the nickname of the well-respected wartime Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, Admiral Sir William 'Bubbles' James (He gained the nickname as a child through being the model for his grandfather's, Sir John Everett Millais, painting of that title later used as an advertisement by Pears' Soap).
Barrage balloons are shown flying over the damaged city and its vulnerability is contrasted with the metal strength of the battleship. There is an irony too in the name, 'Revenge', as if the ship is going out to sea to seek revenge for the destruction of Portsmouth.
Title
HMS 'Revenge' Leaving Harbour
Date
1942
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 76.2 x W 127 cm
Accession number
BHC1571
Work type
Painting