Book Review: Painting as a Pastime

When he was around forty years old, Winston Churchill discovered a hobby that he would enjoy for the rest of his life: painting. Churchill had always had a knack for art (he drew detailed pen drawings of scenes from his time in Cuba), and around the beginning of the First World War, he enjoyed relaxing outside while he painting - especially in France. Churchill completed over five hundred paintings in his life, and while he was never considered a master, nearly all critics of his work admitted that he had a talent for art. 

Churchill wrote Painting as a Pastime in 1921. It was published as a two-part work that appeared in issues of the Strand magazine. It explains why painting is such a wonderful hobby and is meant to inspire others to start painting themselves. Who knows? Maybe you will enjoy taking a "joyride through the paintbox" just as Churchill did.

 You can buy Painting as a Pastime on amazon here. Note: this version does not contain any copies of Churchill's paintings.

You can also buy Painting as a Pastime along with a complete collection of Winston Churchill's paintings here.

Churchill Painting

These are some paintings by Winston Churchill. When replying to a question on his choice of colors, Churchill once replied, "I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns." Note the bright colors that he uses in his work...


Sources: 
Winston Churchill by John B. Severance
Winston Churchill Reporting by Simon Read
Memories and Adventures by Winston S. Churchill
Painting as a Pastime by Sir Winston Churchill


Comments

  1. Abigial RoseNovember 18, 2019 at 6:59 PM

    That's interesting. Who all owns his paintings or where are they?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Churchill Literary Soceity EditorNovember 19, 2019 at 6:21 PM

    Dear reader,

    A number of Winston Churchill's paintings are still displayed in the room that he used as his art studio in Chartwell, which was the Churchill family's house for many years. The house and the paintings in it do not belong to the Churchill family, however - the government now owns it, and it is operated as a sort of museum. The many paintings that are not at Chartwell are mostly in private collections, although some are also at other various museums, government buildings, etc.. You can even currently buy a few of WSC's less celebrated works at auctions. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask, or email us at churchillliterarysociety@gmail.com.

    -The Churchill Literary Society Editor

    ReplyDelete

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