After the restrictions of Winter and lockdown, the choice of artwork for this exhibition is driven by the optimism of the arrival of Spring. The slow reduction of restrictions allows us to look forward to enjoying the changes that Spring brings, followed by the arrival of Summer.

The artwork reflects these changes with the soft greens of Spring, early flowers, and wide skies. This is followed by the warm days of Summer, brighter colours, the casual enjoyment of the warmth, meeting in groups and travel for holidays. Further lifting of restriction leads to the playing of sports and the warmer colours of the harvest season.

Our optimism is finally met with the return of crowds, large groups of people at concerts, fairs, and social events.

Artists featured in this Curation: F. W. Salvage, Harry Carleton Attwood (1907–1985), A. L. Stephens, Cecil Collins (1908–1989), Sidney Richard Nethercot (1878–1951), Kate Allen Tryon (1865–1952), George Warner Allen (1916–1988), William Patrick Roberts (1895–1980), Michael Cullimore (1936–2021), Denis Wirth-Miller (1915–2010), and 6 more See all

16 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

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The Lawn in Spring

The Lawn in Spring
F. W. Salvage (active 1974)
Oil on canvas
H 58.5 x W 40 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Magnolia

Magnolia
Harry Carleton Attwood (1907–1985)
Fresco
H 20 x W 19.5 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1983

Springtime in Mill Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire

Springtime in Mill Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire 1983
A. L. Stephens
Oil on canvas
H 59.5 x W 90 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1965

Pastoral

Pastoral 1965
Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
Oil & tempera on board
H 75 x W 90.5 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

The Edge of Salisbury Plain

The Edge of Salisbury Plain
Sidney Richard Nethercot (1878–1951)
Watercolour on paper
H 36.8 x W 48.3 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Burderop Park, Wroughton, Wiltshire. Mrs Calley in the Garden

Burderop Park, Wroughton, Wiltshire, Mrs Calley in the Garden
Kate Allen Tryon (1865–1952)
Oil on canvas
H 22.6 x W 35.3 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1967

Sleeping Venus

Sleeping Venus 1967
George Warner Allen (1916–1988)
Oil & tempera on canvas
H 49.5 x W 59.5 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1923

Study for 'Bank Holiday in the Park'

Study for 'Bank Holiday in the Park' 1923
William Patrick Roberts (1895–1980)
Charcoal on paper with green wash, squared up for transfer in red ink
H 25.4 x W 20.3 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1987

Nude in a Landscape IV

Nude in a Landscape IV 1987
Michael Cullimore (1936–2021)
Watercolour on paper
H 30.5 x W 53.5 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1955

Landscape

Landscape 1956
Denis Wirth-Miller (1915–2010)
Oil on canvas
H 75.5 x W 90.5 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

1895

Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Man and Scythe

Clausen has used sticks of graphite, a mineral which previously was used in pencils. Graphite creates a soft, metallic grey line of the paper. Clausen has pressed the graphite hard against the paper as he has observed this scene in life. While it is an unfinished sketch, it captures the immediacy of its subject and the artist’s activity. Modern pencils use a small amount of graphite mixed with clay, but graphite sticks can still be found, allowing modern artists to create similarly dramatic lines.

Man and Scythe 1897
George Clausen (1852–1944)
Graphite on paper
H 30.5 x W 19 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Stubble Field near Rhossili Down

Stubble Field near Rhossili Down
Nick Schlee (b.1931)
Oil on board
H 49 x W 59.6 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Mevagissey, Cornwall

Mevagissey, Cornwall
Harold Dearden (1888–1962)
Oil on canvas
H 49.5 x W 60 cm
Museum & Art Swindon

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Beach House West of Looe

This work was acquired through the Heritage Lottery Funded Creative Wiltshire project and presented to Swindon in 2017.

It is part of Bent’s Landscape Geometry series, in which landscapes are abstracted into bold, repeating geometric patterns. The final works sit somewhere between abstraction and representation.

Beach House West of Looe 2000–2007
David Bent
Acrylic on canvas
H 120 x W 120 cm
Museum & Art Swindon