Painting the Warmth of the Sun (3 Parts)

Synopsis

Series made to coincide with the major St Ives exhibition at the Tate Gallery, London, and looks at the developments in painting which took place in St Ives betwen l939 and l975.
1: Establishes the long tradition of St Ives as an artists’ colony and traces the history of painting in Cornwall. Although the artistic tradition until l939 was essentially a conservative one, in London in the thirties a group of young artists - in touch with Europe and committed to an increasingly radical form of abstraction - was emerging to challenge the established attitudes. At the outbreak of the Second World War, St Ives provided a shelter for two of the most prominent members of this group, Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, who, together with the Russian emigré artist Naum Gabo, went to live there in l939.
2: Covers the immediate post-war period, which for many artists was the opportunity to make up for lost time, and the younger artists who moved to St Ives after the war including John Wells, Sven Berlin, Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon, who entered a period of intense activity and discovery under the leadership of Nicholson and Hepworth.
3: By the time of the Festival of Britain in 1951, which included commissions for many St Ives artists. their reputation had achieved an international standing. Introduces the work of five of the most prominent ‘middle generation’ artists, whose work was to consolidate what is seen today as the St Ives contribution to 20th-century British art. Looks at the work of Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon, Bryan Wynter, Terry Frost and Roger Hilton and examines their individual approach to abstraction and their relationships with Cornwall.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 3 x 60 min.

Year of production

1985

Availability

Sale

Notes

First shown on Channel 4: THE MIDDLE GENERATION (tx. 09/04/1985); THE YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT (tx. 08/04/1985) and ST. IVES (tx. 07/04/1985)

Uses

Students of 20th-century British art.*

Subjects

Art

Keywords

biographies; Cornwall; Frost, Terry; Gabo, Naum; Hepworth, Barbara; Heron, Patrick; Hilton, Roger; Lanyon, Peter; Nicholson, Ben (1893-1982); paintings; Wynter, Bryan

Credits

Cast

Tim Pigott-Smith

Sections

Title

St Ives

Synopsis

1: Establishes the long tradition of St Ives as an artists’ colony and traces the history of painting in Cornwall. Although the artistic tradition until l939 was essentially a conservative one, in London in the thirties a group of young artists - in touch

Title

Years of discovery

Synopsis

2: Covers the immediate post-war period, which for many artists was the opportunity to make up for lost time, and the younger artists who moved to St Ives after the war including John Wells, Sven Berlin, Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon, who entered a period

Title

Middle generation

Synopsis

3: By the time of the Festival of Britain in 1951, which included commissions for many St Ives artists. their reputation had achieved an international standing. Introduces the work of five of the most prominent ‘middle generation’ artists, whose work was

Production Company

Name

Television South West

Notes

Films handled by South West Film and Television Archive

Sponsor

Name

Channel 4

Distributor

Name

The Box

Email

theboxenquiries@plymouth.gov.uk

Web

https://www.theboxplymouth.com/collections/moving-image External site opens in new window

Phone

+ 44 1752308671

Address

Plymouth City Council
Tavistock Place
Plymouth
PL4 8AX

Notes

The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) has now been absorbed within The Box.