School prints:Art for the 1940's Classroom Review

The School Prints exhibition is currently on display at Mascalls gallery. What a lovely exhibition it is indeed. Art generally speaking is visual record of history a nostalgic visual sentiment. Likewise, the prints in this case represent 40's Post war life.  How varied, refreshing and jovial these prints are. The exhibition features works by acclaimed 20th century Artists such as: Henry Moore,   John Nash and Felix Kelly. What a treat that works from the European series also make an appearance in the exhibitions collection such Artists include: Matisse, Braque and Picasso. Just to be able to get a glimpse of these limited edition original prints is such a privilege. They are such rare and collectable works that have not been reproduced since the 40's. 

The School Prints were produced towards the end of the Second World War when Brenda Rawnsley and her husband Derek had the idea of bringing contemporary art to young children who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to see it. The idea  was brilliant and simple to  commission good artists to create original lithographs which would be produced  in very large numbers and sold cheaply to  schools who wanted  to subscribe to the scheme.

Interestingly enough  a submission made by Michael Ayrton depicting the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle-Diddle was rejected on the basis that its rather menacing depiction of the cat would be too frightening for children. This may seem amusing   to a modern audience when we think of how exposed children are today to entertainment centred on supernatural and ghastly fantastical and mythical creatures. Rather, the prints address subject matters which would have had an everyday familiarity to children of the period. Tractors, fairgrounds and busy town centres are shown. The use of particularly British subject matter meant that the representations would have been familiar, even if the style of execution and use of colour was not. The prints enlivened an otherwise dull classroom and filled children with the hope that their futures would be brighter and   Britain restored post war. There truly is a sense of optimism and enlightenment   radiating from each work.

Each Artist had criteria of being restricted to a palette of six colours. This made the works striking and accessible. The characteristics which made these works popular with primary schools also appealed to the general public. Gerald Cooper's, Striped Lily was one of the most popular prints among the adults who brought these works because of its conventional still life feel. The colour and affordability of these prints meant that by 1947 the prints had become popular in interior design. As a result they were featured in Vogue and several advertising campaigns.

This wonderful Art scheme is definitely something that should be revived into the modern classroom. Pop culture in the form of television, music and video games are instrumental tools that educate children in a warped and often inappropriate way. Recreating this scheme would not only educate children about Art but also about society around them. How exhilarating to feature imagery in schools once again that would be stimulating, interesting and relatable. Alas due to blundering budget cuts in the Arts this idea may simply remain as just that.

The collection was a wonderfully uplifting and moving collection. Each work captures the same joy and curiosity that naturally sparks a child's interests. Each of the works is visual narratives and tells a story either fictional and exciting or honest and relatable about everyday life. My personal favourite of the prints is Clarke Hutton’s Harlequinade which proves to be the liveliest in the series. It shows a scene from a harlequinade, an early form of slapstick pantomime. This piece although menacing on closer inspection would have caught children’s imagination due to the live action, bright colour and comic feel of the piece. It is urgent that you see this exhibition, it ends tomorrow!

By Lalita Bailey (Curation intern at Mascalls Gallery)

The School Prints  ends on the 14th of March 2015