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Notes
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Light pours out of the furnace as it spews and spits, silhouetting the figure of the workman against it. The sensation of heat is palpable. The furnace is probably a small Bessemer converter for steel-making, which would have been found in many steel-works in Wales. To create the effect of white heat in this lithograph, the artist would have had to scratch onto the stone, working from dark to light, rather than light to dark. Clausen researched this set of prints at the Royal Gun Factory, Woolwich Arsenal, London, which manufactured armaments, ammunition and explosives for the British Armed Forces. At its peak during the First World War, it employed around 80,000 people and extended over 1,300 acres. Clausen was appointed an official war artist in 1917.
This work forms part of the portfolio ‘The Great War: Britain’s Efforts and Ideals’, a series of 66 lithographic prints commissioned by the Ministry of Information in 1917. The series provides a broad and fascinating representation of Britain’s war objectives, military activities and effort on the Home Front.
Title
The Furnace
Date
1917
Medium
lithograph on paper
Measurements
H 50.8 x W 37.8 cm
Accession number
NMW A 13177
Acquisition method
gift from H. M. Ministry of Information, 1919
Work type
National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park, Cardiff (Caerdydd) CF10 3NP Wales
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