John Scott Lawson Architectural Elevation Design for an Organ
An original 1914 watercolour painting, John Scott Lawson, Architectural Elevation Design for an Organ.
A beautiful and impressive large architectural drawing in ink and wash. This is one of a small collection that we have for sale by John Scott Lawson dated 1914.
Lawson appears to have been a student at the Royal College of Art, South Kensington, in December 1914. Architecture was a component of the art course at this time and Lawson clearly excelled in this discipline. In January 1915 one of the designs is approved by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The drawings are not only visually stunning but also represent a significant moment in the history of architecture. Lawson's studies show the influence of classicism that was still very present in pre-war Britain, whilst also embodying an Arts and Crafts aesthetic based on attention to crafted detail, and a Victorian impulse for social improvement in the form of the National Art Library.
The year 1914 is considered a significant cut-off point in the history of architecture, the First World War coinciding with a major stylistic shift in the emergence of Modernism. The war meant that unprecedented numbers of students, from the Royal College of Art and Royal Institute of British Architects, were called up to serve—with John Scott Lawson being one such statistic. There is record of Lawson being a Corporal with a Mechanical Transport unit. The RCA was already a small select course, students in 1913/14 numbering 204 but falling to just 110 in 1914/15, and over the course of the war more than 1300 members and students of the RIBA served in the armed forces. Construction also halted during the war and teaching staff dramatically reduced.
John Scott Lawson does not appear in the lists of fallen students from either the RCA or RIBA but surprisingly, given his young talent, there is no readily available evidence that he forged a career in architecture. Perhaps, poignantly, the Great War was to irrevocably put his life on a different path.
Please note that due to the large size of this picture it will ship rolled in a tube.
Dimensions: Height: 70.7cm (27.83") Width: 87.8cm (34.57")
Presented: Unframed.
Medium: Watercolour
Age: Early 20th-century
Signed: Signed upper left.
Inscribed: Yes.
Dated: Dated upper left.
Condition: Some minor age toning and marks as shown. There is a series of very small, barely visible repaired tears to the lower edge of the sheet and a short tear to the upper edge of the sheet. Due to the large size and stiff nature of the paper it is somewhat undulating and would benefit from being stretched flat when framing. Please see photos for detail.
Stock number: KB-601
