Sybil Andrews (19 April 1898 – 21 December 1992) was an English-Canadian artist who specialised in printmaking and is best known for her modernist

linocut Linocut, also known as lino print, lino printing or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for a relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum s ...

Life in England

Born in 1898 in Bury St Edmunds, Andrews was unable to go straight to art school after her high school, as her family could not afford the tuition fees. Given the shortage of young men at home during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in 1916 she was apprenticed as a welder, working in the Bristol Welding Company's aeroplane factory, helping in the development of the first all-metal aeroplane. During this period, she took an art correspondence course. After the war, Andrews returned to Bury St Edmunds, where she was employed as an art teacher at Portland House School. Between 1922 and 1924 she attended the

Heatherley School of Fine Art The Heatherley School of Fine Art is an independent art school in London. The school was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as the school's principal from James Mathews Leigh (when it was named "Leigh's"). Founded in 1845, the schoo ...

in London. Andrews continued to practice art and met the architect

Cyril Power Cyril Edward Power (17 December 1872 – 25 May 1951) was an English artist best known for his linocut prints, long-standing artistic partnership with artist Sybil Andrews and for co-founding the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London in 1925. ...

, who became a mentor figure, and then her working partner until 1938. Between 1930 and 1938, Andrews and Power shared a studio in Hammersmith, where they developed a great collaboration, influencing each other and adopting similar printmaking techniques, especially

. The two produced a series of sports posters together, including posters promoting tennis at Wimbledon and the Epsom Derby for London Transport, under the joint signature of "Andrew Power." With the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Andrews returned to work as a welder, this time for the British Power Company, constructing warships. There she met Walter Morgan, whom she married in 1943. Seven wartime depictions of ships by Andrews are in the collection of the

Royal Air Force Museum London The Royal Air Force Museum London (also commonly known as the RAF Museum) is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Fo ...

. In England, one of the largest collections in public ownership is held by St Edmundsbury Borough Council Heritage Service at Bury St Edmunds. This collection includes a number of early water-colours, executed while the artist was still living in Suffolk. Although Andrews had worked in other mediums – such as etchings, paintings, and monotypes – her main passion and interest remained linocuts from the late 1920s on.

The Grosvenor School

In 1925 she was employed by

Iain Macnab Iain Macnab of Barachastlain (21 October 1890 – 24 December 1967) was a Scottish wood-engraver and painter. As a prominent teacher he was influential in the development of the British school of wood-engraving. His pictures are noted for cl ...

as the first secretary of The Grosvenor School of Modern Art, where she also attended

Claude Flight Walter Claude Flight (born London 16 February 1881 - died Donhead St Andrew 10 October 1955) also known as Claude Flight or W. Claude Flight was a British artist who pioneered and popularised the linoleum cut technique. He also painted, illustrated ...

's linocutting classes. Around 1926 she began producing linocuts and one of her earliest prints ''Limehouse'' is in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Collection. Between 1928 and 1938 she exhibited linocuts extensively through shows organised by Flight. In 1922, Andrews and Power moved to London. Three years later, the pair became part of the staff of the Grosvenor School of Modern Art – Power was appointed as one of the founding lecturers, while Andrews became the school's first secretary. Both Power and Andrews were swept up in Britain's linocut craze of the 1920s and 1930s under the tutelage of Claude Flight, instructor and champion of linocutting at the Grosvenor School. Flight, a proponent of the relatively new medium, believed that linocuts were most appropriate for expressing the modern age in which they lived, particularly because artists were able to move forward and stamp their own unique mark on the medium, free from the confines of tradition unlike the woodcuts based in historical Japanese methods. Likewise, Andrews quickly absorbed Flight's enthusiasm for linocutting and made it her life's work. Andrews' contemporaries, fellow students of Claude Flight, include Swiss artist Lill Tschudi, and Australian artists

Dorrit Black Dorothea Foster Black (23 December 1891 – 13 September 1951) was an Australian painter and printmaker of the modernism, Modernist school, known for being a pioneer of Modernism in Australia. In 1951, at the age of sixty, Black was killed in a ...

Ethel Spowers Ethel Louise Spowers (11 July 1890 – 5 May 1947) was an Australian artist associated with the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London. She was especially known for her linocuts, which are included in the collections of major Australian and ...

, and

Eveline Syme Eveline Syme (26 October 1888 – 6 June 1961) was an Australian artist associated with the Grosvenor School of Modern Art, and an advocate for women's post-secondary education. Early life Eveline Winifred Syme was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, ...

. The Grosvenor School style was influenced by elements of

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...

and

vorticism Vorticism was a London-based Modernism, modernist art movement formed in 1914 by the writer and artist Wyndham Lewis. The movement was partially inspired by Cubism and was introduced to the public by means of the publication of the Vorticist mani ...

– capturing the machine age through dynamism and movement.

Process and techniques

Unlike the laborious and difficult

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

ting technique, linocutting was prized for its simple tools and materials, making it economical and particularly appealing to Andrews – a woman of modest means. Following Flight's process, Andrews used ordinary household linoleum, gouges made from umbrella ribs, and a simple wooden spoon to rub against the paper during printing. The softness of linoleum prevented the cutting of fine lines, resulting in the bold shapes seen in Andrews works. Alternately, Andrews often applied a technique of repetitive hatch-marks in order to create the impression of texture. Flight's most technical achievement to the medium was abandoning the key-block, forcing his students to create structure with color. In this way, Andrews relies on three to five blocks (one per color) and common print inks applied with a simple roller in order to create her lively prints.

Formal qualities and subjects

Andrews was influenced by the prevailing art movements of her time, predominantly Vorticism which had strong roots in England and Futurism which originated in Italy, by combining both styles she was able to reflect upon the fast-paced changes inherent to a modernizing society. Sharing Flight's fascination with motion, Andrews creates compositions which capture movement in all forms – human, animal, and mechanical. A recurring theme in Andrews work is sport, from horse racing and jumping, to rowing crews, otter hunting, and speedway riders; through this she conveys the exhilaration, speed and thrill of action. Andrews furthermore portrays the vibrancy found in typical English social imagery, which ranged from rural life, farmlands, manual work, and the various intricacies of city life. Additionally, during the 1930s, Andrews created seven linocuts based on the drama of the life of Christ. Formally, Andrews’ works utilizes the principles of modernist design: simplified, geometric forms combined with vibrant, flat colors, and dramatic arrangements – suggesting the dynamism of modern life. Another common technique employed by Andrews is the retention of the paper, which functions as its own color resulting in sharp definition and high contrast between forms. Perhaps most significant is Andrews staple device of a “centrifugal force-field,” where elements of the composition rotate around a central point in order to create the illusion of movement.

Exhibition history

Andrews regularly exhibited her work at the “Exhibitions of British Linocuts” – an annual exhibition organized by Claude Flight at the

Redfern Gallery The Redfern Gallery is an exhibition space in the West End of London specialising in contemporary British art. It was founded by Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham in 1923 as an artists' cooperative on the top floor of Redfern H ...

in London between 1929 and 1937. Flight arranged for these exhibitions to tour Britain and travel to other countries as far away as the United States, China, and Australia. By 1945, the works of the Grosvenor School artists had lost their appeal and came to be considered “outdated” and “old-fashioned.” For almost four decades, the linocuts of Andrews and her contemporaries had been virtually forgotten. It wasn't until the 1970s-80s when Andrews was rediscovered in the art world, now being recognized as one of the Grosvenor School's best artists. Her print ''Speedway'' sold at Sotheby's auction for £85,000.00 – the most expensive print sold by a member of the Grosvenor School. Interest in her work was revived in late 2019, when the

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...

hosted an exhibition of the works of the Grosvenor School from June to September, which included several examples of her prints. Approximately a month after it closed, an exhibition concentrating on wholly her works opened at the

Glenbow Museum The Glenbow Museum is an art and history regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The museum focuses on Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. The Glenbow was established as a private non-profi ...

in Canada, which finished in January the next year.

Life in Canada

In 1947 she and Morgan moved to Canada and settled in

Campbell River, British Columbia Campbell River, or Wiwek̓a̱m, is a city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the 50th parallel north along the important Inside Passage shipping route. Campbell River ...

. Seeking a new life together after the depression of two world wars, Andrews and Morgan moved to a small cottage in the logging community on Vancouver Island where they made ends meet building and repairing boats. Rediscovered in the art world during the 1970s and 1980s, Andrews became a local celebrity and spent the rest of her life working, painting and teaching. Sybil Andrews was elected to the Society of Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers in 1951 when her linocut ''Indian Dance'' was selected as the presentation print. In 1975, while working as a teacher and focusing on her practice, she completed one of her major works ''The Banner of St Edmund''. It is hand embroidered in silks on linen and was first conceived, designed and begun in 1930. This banner now hangs in

St Edmundsbury Cathedral St Edmundsbury Cathedral (formally entitled the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund) is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is the seat of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and is in ...

, Bury St Edmunds, the town of her birth. The

in Canada holds copyright for Andrews' estate and houses the majority of her work with a collection of over 1000 examples, including the main body of her colour linocuts, original linoleum blocks, oil paintings and watercolour, drawings, drypoint etchings, sketchbooks, and personal papers. In recent years her works have sold extremely well at auction with record prices being achieved, primarily within Canada. In 2015 an exhibition was held at the

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The ...

, Canada, ''A Study in Contrast: Sybil Andrews and Gwenda Morgan'', comparing and contrasting fellow Grosvenor School artists. In 2017 her work was included in the exhibition, ''The Ornament of a House: Fifty Years of Collecting'' at the Burnaby Art Gallery. A full exhibition history is available in ''Sybil Andrews Linocuts''.

Collections

, British Columbia, Canada *The Burnaby Art Gallery *

, Calgary, Alberta, Canada *

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

*Virtual Museum of Canada *

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London, England *Moyse's Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK *

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

, New Zealand *

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...

, USA *The Bank of New York Mellon Collection, USA (Private Collection)

References

External links

* *Glenbow Museu

*Redfern Galler
thumbnails of a selection of works
*Digitised images of works held in UK public ownership available to view a
ehive
*Sybil's Cottag
Andrews Heritage Society''
images of the restoration of the cottage on Campbell River.
Images of works by Sybil Andrews in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Sybil 1898 births 1992 deaths 20th-century British printmakers 20th-century English women artists Alumni of the Grosvenor School of Modern Art Alumni of the Heatherley School of Fine Art Artists from British Columbia British women in World War I English printmakers People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Artists from Bury St Edmunds People from Campbell River, British Columbia Women printmakers British emigrants to Canada