Building a Liner at Greenock (On the Clyde, no. 6)
Sir Muirhead Bone British, Scottish
Not on view
Controlling the seas was essential for ensuring victory in World War I. In the early twentieth century, the British had the greatest navy in the world; to maintain dominance, they produced numerous warships, nearly half of which were built in the shipyards on Scotland’s River Clyde, in towns such as Greenock. Here, Bone—Britain’s first official war artist—shows a giant naval ship under construction. Dominating the work is a huge scaffold, with portions of the ship’s hull visible behind it. The artist emphasized its massive scale, contrasting its size with that of the shipbuilders on the ground and the structures nearby. Bone created multiple series in service of the war, including one of the Battle of the Somme and another of architectural ruins resulting from combat.
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