The painting depicts Burra's response to the Second World War as he observed if from Rye, his birthplace.
It depicts a monstrous harpy with red eyes and claws descending from a red sky; a swirling plume of black smoke rising from the horizon indicates where the harpy has already struck. Rye was part of the chain of radar stations along the south coast which the Luftwaffe attempted to destroy during the winter of 1940-1941.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Blue Baby: Blitz over Britain, 1941
Date supported
1993
Medium and material
Watercolour & gouache on paper
Dimensions
67.5 x 100.5 cm
Grant
20000
Total cost
81000
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