Landscape with the Elements (1975-76) was designed by the celebrated British Romantic artist who used to sing in Chichester Cathedral choir as a child.
At an early age John Craxton R.A. (1922-2009) was lucky to travel widely with family and friends. Many of his travels inspired creative turning points for the artist daring to explore colour and use bolder lines. He often stayed on the south coast in Selsey with family and he regularly sang in the choir at Chichester Cathedral as a boy.
With these personal links to the local area, it is fitting that Chichester Cathedral is able to display Craxton’s enormous Cretan-inspired tapestry Landscape with the Elements (1975-76) as part of Pallant House Gallery’s exhibition 'John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey' .
Landscape with the Elements was commissioned by the University of Stirling as a memorial to Tom Cottrell, the University of Stirling’s first Principal and Vice Chancellor. When the tapestry was first made, it was amongst the largest and most complex woven tapestries in Scotland with the main complexity being the breadth of colour used.
Image: John Craxton, Landscape with the Elements: Cottrell Memorial Tapestry, Cottrell tapestry Macrobert Art Centre, Stirling, © Estate of John Craxton. All rights reserved, DACS 2023.
