In this scene we see a traditional steam train carriage. The windows capture and frame the White Horse chalk figure on the Wiltshire Downs before it passes by. This watercolour captures a very particular moment in time and space before the train passes and the scene is lost. Like many Ravilious paintings, the carriage is empty and there is a sense of expectancy. Where are the travellers? 
 
The interior of the train carriage is remdered in remarkable detail with the texture of the wooden window frames, the blinds at the windows and the leather strap on the door, and also the patterned upholstery on the seats. One gets a sense that Ravilious really enjoyed depicting this scene. Interestingly, 'Train Landscape' makes a perfect pair to the print 'Westbury Horse' which depicts this landscape from another angle - that of the hillside near the chalk horse. This painting views the same scene with the horse in the foreground and the steam train crossing the landscape in the distance. Is it the same train? I like to believe so. For Ravilious these composite paintings of train interiors and landscape triptychs were quite different in intent from their ancestors. The railway carriage was much more than a framing device, and the landscape much more than a means to add depth to the interior. This type of travelogue motif was popular at the time, as a means of promoting travel to see places, and for Ravillious it was an important theme.
 
'Train Landscape' (1939) by British painter and print-maker Eric Ravilious is a beautiful limited edition giclee print on 310gsm thick Hahnemuhle German Etching paper. This is one of a series of watercolours of the South East of England painted by Ravilious before and during the World War II. This fine art print makes the perfect pair alongside our 'Westbury Horse' and 'Chalk Figure Near Weymouth' prints, also available from Eric Ravilious Prints.  
​
We supply Limited Edition Eric Ravilious Prints to art galleries, shops and picture framing studios all over the UK and beyond. Trade enquiries are welcome. Please email us for our trade pricelist.