London Town

Location

Country: Other
City: other locations abroad

'London Town' is a box construction of found images. On the left is the musical score cover of Sir Edward Elgar's 'Overture, Cockaigne (London Town)' and on the right are reproductions of late Victorian life. Like a visual foil, the red block unites the scenes, and the collaged images complement the score's grid of drawings.

Elgar's 'Overture' was composed in 1901, in the late Victorian era when London epitomised Britain's imperial success. The word 'Cockaigne' derives from the old English name for an imaginary land of plenty and is supposedly the source of 'Cockney' - the iconic London resident.

People

Sir Edward, Baronet Elgar (1857 - 1934)

Places

England, River Thames, London, Royal Courts of Justice, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul's Cathedral, Palace of Westminster, St. James's Park, City of London, Regent Street, Westminster

Subjects

carriage, horseback, hansom cab, bus, drum (as subject), composer, classical music, musical score, statue (as Subject), painting (as Subject), archery, target, male portrait, townscape/cityscape, wing, dog, horse, river, face, moustache, man, woman, crowd, armour, military uniform, bearskin, helmet, backpack, coat of arms, Knight, parade, spear, shield, bow & arrow, soldier, guardsman, angel, street, bridge (urban), cathedral, bell tower, column, clock tower, tower

Materials & Techniques

wood, construction, collage, box (as object component)

Artist

Graham Arnold (1932 - )

Title

London Town

Date

1979

Medium

Compartmented box construction with collage

Dimensions

height: 48.20 cm, width: 30.80 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Simon Hilton Ltd, September 2001

Inscription

inscribed verso on backing sheet

Provenance

Patrick Farndale 1986; purchased from Simon Hilton Ltd September 2001.

GAC number

17635