Cosmic rays
A black sun free-wheels through a violet, inky haze, propelled by licks of flame. It’s a sunflower but not as we know it, transformed into a cosmic, almost abstract dream symbol by one of British modernism’s great romantics, Paul Nash.
Change of scenery
Nash was an official artist during the first world war, and his style became decidedly darker when he returned from the conflict. Now a sense of darkness creeped into his landscapes like this one, its pitch-black heart lending an apocalyptic feel.
Flowered up
Nash was also a fan of James Frazer’s classic study of religion, The Golden Bough. Despite its stormy mood, death seems to be seen here as the sacrifice that facilitates harvest. The flower-head tumbles away from its stalk like a spirit set free.
Cruel nature
Through Nash’s eyes, what might otherwise be quaint became mysterious and otherworldly. Part of the last series he created before his untimely death from pneumonia, this painting took flowers from his Banbury garden as its starting point.
England’s dreaming
Nash witnessed first-hand the horrors and marvels of the early 20th century while nurturing a vision of old Albion that owed much to William Blake.
Part of Seeing Round Corners, Turner Contemporary, Margate, to 25 Sep
