Riponelli - A Village in Lemnos

This print will form a key part of a display about Dazzle Painting during the First World War at the new Riverside Museum in Glasgow (opening Spring 2011). Dazzle painting was a type of camouflage used on warships and invented by marine artist, Norman Wilkinson. Wadsworth and Wilkinson spent part of the war in the Eastern Mediterranean and it is likely they met during this time. Wadsworth was stationed on the Greek island of Lemnos where he probably visited Riponelli. On his return to England, Wadsworth was released from active military duty on Wilkinson's request. He went on to work for Wilkinson as Supervisor of the ‘Dazzle Painting’ of Allied ships in British docks. Of all the artists involved in this marine camouflage campaign, Wadsworth’s art displays the strongest visual similarities to the abstraction of ‘Dazzle Painting’.