Bloody but Unbowed (Portland Street, Manchester)

James Patchell Chettle 1871 - 1944

Summary

View of a bombsite after the Manchester Blitz of 1941 by the German Luftwaffe. This viewer is positioned on the corner of Nicholas Street, looking across Portland Street. This structure is in the centre of the city that was bombed during the air raids in the second world war. Only the outer structure of the building remains with the middle front of the building missing. The ruin is depicted in shadow towards the front, but is highly illuminated at the back interior section of the warehouse. This unusual illumination is explained by a collection of fires still blazing the in the ruined structure, indicating that the painter was present in the immediate aftermath perhaps. The foreground of the image depicts other semi-collapsed structures, rubble and debris. The background painting shows a horizon line ablaze, suggesting further destruction across the city. Further dilapidated structures are silhouetted across the scene such as a Church Spire which appears to have been dislodged. Towards the middle left of the painting burnt trees and patches of grass are in illumination. The painting is largely in varied tones of bleak grey and green, with some strong black in the foreground. The painting shows influences of European post-impressionism as the scene is depicted with simple (sometimes angular) brushwork with little detail. The brushwork in the foregound consists of single lines stokes of colour painted diagonally from the bottom right of the painting to the top left.