John Tunnard (1900 - 1971) was an English designer and cousin of landscape architect Christopher Tunnard. He spent most of his life in Cornwall - so it is appropriate that this (his only print) has a fantastic seaside subject.
This lithograph is entitled "Holiday" and it came from a series of School Prints issued in the 1940s.
These series of prints were envisaged by Brenda and Derek Rawnsley after the end of WWII. They wanted to give young children a chance to see original contemporary art. These children might not have had the opportunity to see first-rate artworks. The couple set up School Prints Ltd. The company would sell original lithographs to schools and commissioned some important living artists to create work for the scheme.
The plates were drawn by the artists who were restricted to using only six colours, to help keep costs down. They were then printed at the Baynard Press. These prints, being original lithographs, proved to be the first "real" art that many of these post-war school children would have seen.
This is probably one of the strangest images in the series, and indeed one of the most successful. It shows the jubilant spirit of summer holidays on the coast. The floating amoebic figures are undoubtedly influenced by the work of Dali and the Surrealists. It is a weird dream-like landscape with fluttering pennants on the masthead and the bright colours give a feeling of boundless joy and celebration. I think the figures are playing a surreal volleyball game on the beach. I am not so sure what the schoolchildren would have made of this, but by all accounts they loved it!
It is in good vintage condition - with no fading of the colours. It is inscribed along the bottom margin: to the left - Holiday by John Tunnard SP. 18 and at the right Printed in England by Baynard Press for School Prints Ltd. The little grey and blue lines around the edge of the print are part of the artist's design - and are not dirty marks etc.
It is in its original heavy oak frame which is also in good condition. You would not have to have it re-framed - as it is originally presented to the schools and as it would have been in the 40s or early 50s. I love it! and it would certainly look so amazing in a period mid-century house or interior.
Dimensions: Frame size is 55 x 82 cm. The image size (without border) is 41.5 x 68 cm). The frame has swivel clips on the back - so that other prints in the series could be interchanged easily.
UK Posting Only. Due to the heavy oak frame and glass - it will be slightly more expensive to post to you. I will be capping Parcelforce24 postage to you at £24.95. This will be applied to your order at the checkout.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY:
John Samuel Tunnard is best known for his paintings of strange private worlds. He studied at the Royal College of Art and was a textile designer. He started to paint in his early 30s. His work was initially realist, often with gates or telegraph poles guiding the viewer into the far distance. He then turned to more abstract painting and from the 1940s onwards developed his characteristic style seen in this print. Tunnard was sometimes called a surrealist and in the late 30s showed several times with well-known surrealists. He never considered himself as part of a Surrealist group.
Many of his works from the late 1930s and 40s are held by the Tate Gallery, London.