λ DAVID JONES (BRITISH 1895-1974), PIETA

λ DAVID JONES (BRITISH 1895-1974) PIETA Etching Signed and dated '26' (lower right) numbered '2-20' (lower left) Plate 15 x 12cm (5¾ x 4½ in.)Born on 1st March 1896 in Brockley, Kent, David Jones navigated the realms of painting, illustration, poetry, and engraving with equal brilliance. He was a true polymath, integrating his various artistic pursuits into a singular and distinctive style that defied categorisation. In 1909, at the age of fourteen, Jones entered the Camberwell School of Art, however at the outbreak of the First World War he enlisted in the London Welsh Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and spent 1915 to 1918 fighting at the front in France and seeing action at Ypres in the Battle of Passchendaele. The horrors and traumas of war profoundly influenced his work, and themes of sacrifice, mortality, and spirituality became central to his artistic expression. His deep Catholic faith, nurtured from an early age, also played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision. In January 1921, Jones joined the Ditchling Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, founded in 1919 by Hilary Pepler and Eric Gill as a religious fraternity for craftsmen. It was here that he learnt wood engraving and during the winter of 1924 he spent Christmas with Gill at the monastery at Capel-y-ffin, Abergavenny. Rediscovering his Welsh roots, Jones spent most of the next three years painting the rugged landscape of the Black Mountains. Dr Paul Hills comments on his work of this period: "The move from the relaxed, ample curves of the Sussex Downs...to the irregular inflexions of the Welsh hills and coast, effected a release from the borrowed idiom in which he had been working. In an autobiographical talk he told how he discovered, between 1924 and 1926, a fruitful direction for his work, particularly under `the impact of the strong hill-rhythms and the bright counter-rhythms of the "afonydd dyfroedd" (water-brooks)'. (Exhibition catalogue, David Jones, Tate Gallery, London, 1981, p.24) As a painter, Jones excelled in capturing the essence of landscapes, often infusing them with a sense of mystical beauty and symbolism. His works exhibited a meticulous attention to detail and a mastery of techniques, blending elements of traditionalism with modernist influences. Whether depicting natural scenes, religious imagery, or historical events, his paintings possessed an ethereal quality that is as relevant and contemporary today as it was when painted. Condition Report: Unexamined out of glazed frame. Appears to be in good original condition. Condition Report Disclaimer