Tag: artist

Vacances Français

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selection of vintage travel maps of areas of France

We bought some vintage metal filing drawers at auction last month – these lovely vintage travel maps were stored inside.

vintage travel map of the Basque area of France vintage travel map of the Jura area of France
vintage travel map of the Est area of France vintage travel map of the Languedoc area of France

The covers immediately caught our eye, with illustrations by French artist Jean Colin. Born in 1912, he’s best known for his  advertising posters from the mid 20th century. In addition to Shell, he did artwork for many prominent companies such as Cinzano, Air France, Kiwi Shoe Polish, Marchal and Perrier  – and won many awards for his designs.

detail of a vintage travel map of an area of France illustrated with a stork

These Shell guides for various regions of France date from the 1950s/60s.

detail of a vintage travel map showing the area of Montpellier

The maps inside are very attractive too – colourful & detailed, but clear to read.

detail of a vintage travel map of an area of France illustrated with figures of a man and woman

We’d spied them inside the drawers, but a nice little bonus all the same!

Colin Ruffell

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pair of vintage Colin Ruffell oil paintings

We bought these two fabulous paintings at auction recently.

vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing grandfather clock, wooden table with glass decanter & wine glass, red armchair and chest of drawers with gramophone on top

They’re interior scenes with a very distinctive style. Our attention was grabbed from across the large saleroom.

detail from a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing grandfather clock, wooden table with glass decanter & wine glass, red armchair and chest of drawers with gramophone on top

The items in these room settings don’t scream 1960s/70s, but the style of painting somehow does.

detail from a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing a wooden table with glass decanter & wine glass and red armchair

The artist is Colin Ruffell. Born in 1939, he has been a professional artist for nearly 50 years and has exhibited all over the world.

vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing dressing Welsh dresser, Windsor chair and wine bottle & glass and oil lamp on a table

We love the composition, colour & tones of these works…

detail of a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing dressing Welsh dresser, Windsor chair and wine bottle & glass and oil lamp on a table

…also the textural quality with the bold application of paint.

detail of a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing Windsor chair and wine bottle & glass and oil lamp on a table

Don’t you just love the bottle & glass – or the plates on the dresser?

detail of a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing plates on a Welsh dresser

The artist is still working today and we’ve been perusing his website recently. There are originals, prints… books too.

detail of a vintage Colin Ruffell oil painting showing the artist's signature

We’re still drawn to his still lives with their naive style, but also love his impressionist depictions of London & Brighton.

Tuesday Huesday: C R W Nevinson

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C R W Nevinson's "Marching Men" painting

 

This striking painting from 1914, entitled ‘Returning to the Trenches‘ is by C R W Nevinson, considered one of Britain’s greatest war artists. The image conveys the movement and sound of the marching troops so vividly. I prefer his earlier style of work of which this is my favourite example – much influenced by the Futurist and Vorticist Movements.

You can see a larger selection of his work on the Bridgeman Art, Culture, History website. There’s a very rare book entitled, ‘C.R.W.Nevinson: The Twentieth Century‘ by Richard Ingleby. There are currently only two copies available on Amazon – the cheaper being a mere £260.64!