Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this video for our London exhibition ‘In Air and Fire: War Artists, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz’ artist Anne Desmet explains how centuries-old architecture, such as St Paul’s Cathedral, could symbolise continuity and change, not least during the Blitz.
Citing as inspiration the vapour trails from Paul Nash’s painting ‘The Battle of Britain’, she describes how her wood engravings of St Paul’s represent in stages the diurnal passing of time, from dusk until dawn, with contrails and aircraft, stars and sunlight.
These might be Blitz scenes or from today. Desmet explains how epic views rarely feature the human figure – architecture alone may convey wider spans of time and history while still evoking the atmosphere and mood of a human presence.
‘In Air and Fire: War Artists, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz’ is now open daily from 10:00am. Entry is free as part of your general free admission to our London site. To pre-book your timed entry ticket, please visit rafmuseum.org/london
To see works featured in the exhibition why not consult our Collections Online here: collections.rafmuseum.org.uk
In this video for our London exhibition ‘In Air and Fire: War Artists, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz’ artist Anne Desmet explains how centuries-old architecture, such as St Paul’s Cathedral, could symbolise continuity and change, not least during the Blitz.
Citing as inspiration the vapour trails from Paul Nash’s painting ‘The Battle of Britain’, she describes how her wood engravings of St Paul’s represent in stages the diurnal passing of time, from dusk until dawn, with contrails and aircraft, stars and sunlight.
These might be Blitz scenes or from today. Desmet explains how epic views rarely feature the human figure – architecture alone may convey wider spans of time and history while still evoking the atmosphere and mood of a human presence.
‘In Air and Fire: War Artists, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz’ is now open daily from 10:00am. Entry is free as part of your general free admission to our London site. To pre-book your timed entry ticket, please visit rafmuseum.org/london
To see works featured in the exhibition why not consult our Collections Online here: collections.rafmuseum.org.uk
