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Notes

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John Armstrong was a well-known artist and film designer. After the war he lived at Oriental Cottage in Lamorna with his third wife Veronica (née Sibthorp). Until 1955, his imagination was fuelled by the power of the wartime bombing and, as an Air Raid warden, he had particular insights into the violence of bombing and both the fragility and stupidity of the human condition. A series of paintings appeared after the war, during the period that atom bombs were being developed, which used the clown motif to describe mankind and the ragged umbrella as a symbol of the futility of so-called defences.

Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Penzance

Title

Veronica as a Clown

Date

1950

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 63.5 x W 50 cm

Accession number

NELNG : 1991.7

Acquisition method

on loan from Newlyn Art Gallery

Work type

Painting

Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Morrab Road, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4HE England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

John Armstrong

1893–1973

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