The Wave by Christopher R. W. Nevinson - 1917 - 45.1 x 53.3 cm Yale Center for British Art The Wave by Christopher R. W. Nevinson - 1917 - 45.1 x 53.3 cm Yale Center for British Art

The Wave

Lithograph on medium, slightly textured, white wove paper • 45.1 x 53.3 cm

  • Christopher R. W. Nevinson - 13 August 1889 - 7 October 1946 Christopher R. W. Nevinson

    1917

After witnessing the devastation of the First World War as an official war artist, C. R. W. Nevinson sought new ways to express the experience of conflict. Painted after a period aboard a naval patrol ship, this work avoids depicting battle directly. Instead, a towering wave becomes a powerful symbol of war itself.

With its dynamic, almost abstract forms, the painting transforms the forces of nature into a metaphor for human experience. Through this powerful image of the sea, Nevinson conveys the fragility of the individual, reminding us how easily lives can be swept away by events far beyond our control.

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P.S. It's time for an art quiz! Can you guess who painted these seascapes?