Bronze Ballet
- Artist: Edward Wadsworth
- Date: 1940
- Medium: Tempera on plywood
- Dimensions: support: 635 x 762 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the "Bronze Ballet" by Edward Wadsworth. Painted in 1940, during the early years of the Second World War, it depicts the harbour of Le Havre in northern France, a port that would be occupied by the Nazis from 1940 to 1944. Wadsworth worked on the piece in Maresfield, Sussex, where the sounds of German bombings over France could be heard across the Channel. The painting is a tempera on plywood (panel) work, about 63 × 76 mm, presented by the artist in 1942.
Wadsworth was fascinated by animism, giving life to inanimate objects. Here the twisted shapes of the ships’ propellers appear to dance, suggesting motion and perhaps foreshadowing the perilous voyages the vessels will undertake at sea. The scene carries a subtle undercurrent of anxiety, the looming war tension reflected in the calm harbour view. It was part of a series of Le Havre paintings that capture motifs of the region rather than a literal topographical representation. This work remains a quiet testament to how artists processed the wartime atmosphere, turning everyday harbour life into a moving tableau.
See it in person
Bronze Ballet is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
