Thomas Hennell
Thomas Hennell
Place: Bromley
Born: 1903
Death: 1945
Biography:
Thomas Hennell was a British artist and writer who specialized in illustrations and essays on the subject of the British countryside. He was an official war artist during the Second World War and was killed while serving in Indonesia in November 1945.
Early Life and Education
Thomas Hennell was born in Ridley, Kent in 1903, the second son of the Rev. Harold Barclay Hennell and Ethel Mary Hennell. He attended primary school in Broadstairs and then secondary school at Bradfield College, Berkshire before studying art at Regent Street Polytechnic. Hennell qualified as a teacher in 1928 and taught for some years at the Kingswood School, Bath and at the King's School, Bruton in Somerset.
Artistic Career
At the outbreak of war in 1939, Hennell wrote to the War Artists' Advisory Committee, WAAC, offering his services as an artist. He worked for the Pilgrim Trust in 1940, and the Ministry of Information in 1941, producing watercolours of rural crafts and agriculture in Kent, Dorset, Berkshire and Worcestershire. In March 1941 one of his paintings was purchased by WAAC and, later, he was given a commission to make drawings of harvest work. In 1943 Hennell was named as a full-time salaried war artist and sent to replace Eric Ravilious in Iceland. He painted in Iceland throughout the second half of 1943 before going to the northeast of England in January 1944 to paint maritime topics. In May 1944 Hennell went to Portsmouth to record the preparations for D-Day, which he took part in.
Notable Works and Exhibitions
Some of Thomas Hennell's notable works include his paintings of rural crafts and agriculture, such as The Witnesses, an account of his mental illness. His work is held by the Imperial War Museum, the Tate and are also part of the Ministry of Defence art collection. You can find more information about Thomas Hennell on Wikioo.org or on his wikipedia page.
Legacy
Thomas Hennell's art works centred on the countryside, and in particular hedging, threshing, baling and the clearing of orchards. Hennell was a member of The Royal Watercolour Society and exhibited in the New English Art Club.
- Change in the Farm (1934)
- Poems - with wood-engravings by Eric Ravilious (1936)
- The Witnesses (1938)
- British Craftsmen (1943)
- The Countryman at Work (1947)
You can also find Thomas Hennell's works on Wikioo.org or learn more about his life and work on wikipedia.
