The Art of Richard Eurich

This book explores the nature of the consistently visionary voice that runs through the art of Richard Eurich (1903-92). Eurich himself characterised this voice as a search for 'that elusive something' which is 'associated with something... very vital' and which is reflected in his stylistically rich (and apparently highly divergent) body of work. This is the first book to present a comprehensive overview of the entire career of British artist Richard Eurich (1903-1992), a figurative painter of compelling power and often visionary intensity who brought rare imaginative reserves to his depiction of the world around him, as well as to his apprehension of the mysterious and unseen. Eurich was a private man, not much given to self-promotion, and as such has not received the widespread attention he deserves. The Art of Richard Eurich locates the artist within the context of 20th-century British art, demonstrating his relevance in all quarters of the art world of the period. Eurich was draughtsman, landscape painter, teacher, War Artist, autobiographer, marine painter extraordinaire, portrait painter, figure painter, satirist, genre painter, visual poet of the beach, and occasional sculptor. His many creative talents are brought together in a compelling analysis of how these various parts refer to each other and to the man who was responsible for them. Featuring a wide selection of his artworks, from the topographical to the visionary, from the drawn to the painted, this book unspools the narrative of Eurich's life through expertly chosen examples of his paintings and drawings and places him in relation to his fellow-artists, friends and contemporaries.