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| 1923 Self-Portrait oil on canvas 30.5 x 25.4 cm |
William Roberts 1895-1980: In the years before the First World War Roberts was a pioneer, among English artists, in his use of abstract images. In later years he described his approach as that of an "English Cubist". In the First World War he served as a gunner on the Western Front, and in 1918 became an official war artist. Roberts's first one-man show was at the Chenil Gallery in London in 1923, and a number of his paintings from the twenties were purchased by the Contemporary Art Society for provincial galleries in the UK. In the 1930s it could be argued that Roberts was artistically at the top of his game; but, although his work was exhibited regularly in London and, increasingly, internationally, he always struggled financially. This situation became worse during the Second World War – although Roberts did carry out some commissions as a war artist.
Roberts is probably best remembered for the large, complex and colourful compositions that he exhibited annually at the Royal Academy summer exhibition from the 1950s until his death. He had a major retrospective at the Tate Gallery in 1965, and was elected a full member of the Royal Academy in 1966. There has recently been a revival of interest in the work of this artist who always worked outside the mainstream.
Note: All images © reserved (Bona Vacantia)
This is part 1 of a 20-part series on the works of William Roberts:
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| c1908 Bacchanal red chalk 28.2 x 36.2 cm |
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| 1908-13 Portrait of a boy wearing a blue scarf (self-portrait) watercolour, pencil and blue crayon 27 x 25.8 cm National Portrait Gallery, London |
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| 1908 Back view of a woman carrying a sheaf of corn pen and ink and wash 18 x 9 cm Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
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| 1909 Studies of the Artist’s Father, Brothers and Sister chalk on paper 28.6 x 21.6 cm Tate Gallery, London |
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| 1909-10 Self Portrait pencil on paper 23.6 x 18.7 cm |
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| 1910 Portrait of the Artist's Brother pen and sepia ink 21.6 x 15.6 cm |
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| 1911-12 Sir Cyril Butler red chalk 55 x 37.9 cm Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK |
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| 1912 The Resurrection (Slade School Sketch Club subject) pencil, pen and ink 30.5 x 30.5 cm |
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| 1912 David Choosing the Three Days’ Pestilence graphite and ink on paper 47.8 x 41.8 cm Tate Gallery. London |
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| 1912 Carpenters at Work study for wall mural at Bishop Creighton House, London pencil and ink on buff paper 34.1 x 19.0 cm |
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| c1912 Portrait of Young Man pencil 30 x 25 cm |
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| c1912 Decapitations / The Legend of Cuchulain pen, ink and watercolour 61 x 61 cm |
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| 1913 Leadenhall Market graphite and ink on paper 58.7 x 47 cm Tate Gallery, London |
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| 1913 Drawing for ‘The Return of Ulysses’ ink and chalk on paper 30.5 x 46 cm Tate Gallery, London |
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| 1913 Billingsgate pen, ink and chalk 45 x 37.5 cm |
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| 1913-14 The Dancers tempera on board 51.4 x 51.4 cm |
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| 1913-14 Religion watercolour 75.6 x 55.9 cm |
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| 1913-19 The Harem aka The Haven watercolour and pencil 25.5 x 20 cm |
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| Study for a Nativity charcoal and watercolour 28 x 35.5 cm |
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| Nativity pencil, ink and watercolour 39 x 48 cm |
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| c1913 Study for 'The Return of Ulysses' pen and chalk 30.5 x 46 cm |
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| c1913 The Return of Ulysses chalk and watercolour on paper 30.5 x 45.7 cm Tate Gallery, London |
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| 1914 The Toe Dancer ink and gouache 72 cm x 54 cm |
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| 1914 Richard Mcgillivray Dawkins oil on canvas 43.2 x 33 cm Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, UK |
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| 1914 Boxers pencil, pen and ink, and collage 60.5 x 53.5 cm |
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| 1914 At the Fox-Trot Ball pencil, ink and sepia wash 35.6 x 25.5 cm |
1915 Combat (a reply to a query from Roberts’ biographer)
Early in 1915 Lewis, as editor, asked me to contribute two drawings to Blast No. 2, the War number. He said 'keep them simple, it is easier for the Block-maker.' I did two 'simple' line drawings, one I called 'Machine Gunners' the other 'Combat'. When I gave Lewis these drawings I did not know what his contributions would be. Later when Blast was published my 'Machine Gunners' carried the plain title 'A drawing', whilst pun the front cover appeared a large intricate line drawing of machine gunners:
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| 1915 Combat ink Published in Blast no.2 |
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| 1915 Machine Gunners ink |
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| St. George and the Dragon (study) pencil 34.5 x 19 cm |
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| St. George and the Dragon published in the Evening News (London) 23 April 1915 |
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| 1915 Street Games (Study for a Vorticist Painting) pencil and ink 28 x 16.5 cm |
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| 1915 Theatre 1 study pencil 22.5 x 15.5 cm |
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| 1915 Theatre 2 pencil, ink and watercolour 22 x 17 cm |
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| c1915 Theatre 3 pencil 22 x 16 cm |
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| 1915 Two-Step 1 study graphite on paper 29.8 x 22.9 cm Tate Gallery. London |
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| c1915 Two-Step 2 pencil, watercolour and gouache 30.2 cm x 22.8 cm |
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| c1915 The Flying Dutchman pencil, pen and ink 21 x 16 cm |
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| c1915 Dominoes (study for Jeu, aka The Draughts Players) pencil and ink 19 x 16 cm |
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| 1916 Women Drinking pencil 33 x 24 cm |
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| 1916 The Leave Train pencil and wash 25.4 x 35.5 cm |
1916 Germans in Constantinople
the Central Powers in October 1914. An American resident in Constantinople throughout the war later reported that; The lack of regulation of the food supply and higher pay for foreign service made life so much pleasanter in Constantinople than in Berlin that Germans openly expressed a preference for a billet in the Turkish capital during the latter part of the war . . . Their drinking of beer and champagne in the restaurants, their dances and chamber-music, were carried on in Constantinople much as if there were no war, and they enjoyed all kinds of special privileges.'
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| 1916 Germans in Constantinople pencil and wash 50 x 34 cm |
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| 1916 Bond Street pencil and watercolour 35.6 x 25.4 cm The Ingram Collection of Modern British Art at the Lightbox, Woking |
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| 1916 An Attack - The Capture of Delville Wood (Details not given) |
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| c1916-17 Ring of Roses pencil, ink, watercolour and wash 35 x 24 cm |
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| c1916-17 Howitzer in Action pencil on paper squared up for enlargement 16.5 x 21 cm British Council Collection, London |
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| c1916-17 Execution in a Canyon pen, brush, black ink and brown wash 35.5 x 25.5 cm |
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| c1916-17 A Sacrifice in the Rain pen, brush, brown wash and pencil 35 x 23.5 cm |
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| 1916-17 Acrobats pen and wash 34.7 x 24.3 cm |
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| 1916-18 Grooming Horses pencil and watercolour 35 x 25 cm |
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