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The Eclipse of the Sunflower

Watercolour
1945 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Paul Nash often incorporated a sense of mysticism into his painting. Although his starting point might be a natural object or an aspect of the landscape, he developed the symbolic imagery of his subject almost to abstraction. This watercolour, a version of an oil painting of the same title, is one of a series inspired by a poem by William Blake which begins:

Ah, Sunflower! Weary of Time
That countest the steps of the Sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done…

The poem explores the relationship between the summer sun and the flower that turns to follow it, and later compares the Sun to an ideal object of human desire. Nash here uses the black centre of the flower, a mass of dark seeds, to represent the Sun's eclipse.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Eclipse of the Sunflower (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour
Brief description
'Eclipse of the Sunflower'. Watercolour by Paul Nash, 1945.
Physical description
Watercolour showing an eclipse of the Sun.
Dimensions
  • Height: 41.9cm
  • Width: 57.2cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1962. London: HMSO, 1964.
Gallery label
Paul Nash 1889-1946
Eclipse of the Sunflower
1945

This is one of a serie of paintings inspired by William Blake's poem 'Ah, Sunflower'. The poem explores the relationship between the summer sun and the flower that turns to follow it. Nash uses the black centre of the flower to represent the sun's eclipse.



Watercolour and pencil on paper

Bequeathed by the artist's widow, Margaret Nash, 1962
Museum no. P.19-1962
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mrs Margaret Nash, widow of the artist
Object history
This watercolour, a version of an oil of the same title is one of a series of paintings in which the artist developed the symbolism of the sunflower and sun based on a poem by William Blake.

This water-colour was on loan to the Museum from 1960. There is an oil painting by Nash of this subject in the collection of the British Council.
Subject depicted
Literary referenceWilliam Blake <i>Ah Sunflower...</i>
Summary
Paul Nash often incorporated a sense of mysticism into his painting. Although his starting point might be a natural object or an aspect of the landscape, he developed the symbolic imagery of his subject almost to abstraction. This watercolour, a version of an oil painting of the same title, is one of a series inspired by a poem by William Blake which begins:

Ah, Sunflower! Weary of Time
That countest the steps of the Sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done…

The poem explores the relationship between the summer sun and the flower that turns to follow it, and later compares the Sun to an ideal object of human desire. Nash here uses the black centre of the flower, a mass of dark seeds, to represent the Sun's eclipse.
Bibliographic references
  • 100 Great Paintings in The Victoria & Albert Museum. London, 1985, p.204
  • Evans, Mark et al. Vikutoria & Arubāto Bijutsukan-zō : eikoku romanshugi kaigaten = The Romantic tradition in British painting, 1800-1950 : masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Japan : Brain Trust, 2002
  • Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1962. London: HMSO, 1964.
  • Coombs, Katherine British watercolours : 1750-1950 . London: V&A Publications, 2012 p.83, pl.73
Collection
Accession number
P.19-1962

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
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