POW Camp, Germany

Howard Taylor was interned as a prisoner of war from 1940 until 1945. During this period he took up drawing to help pass the time. The Red Cross provided rudimentary art supplies and among those interned there were several men with art school training who were able to offer advice. Stalag Luft III in particular, had numerous willing subjects available to afford practice in life drawing. Taylor used his time well, acknowledging the scope of skills required to successfully tackle pictorial representation. 'POW camp, Germany' is typical of the complexity of the pictorial problems set by the emerging artist, and provides an insight into many of the concerns of visual representation that would guide Taylor's work over the next six decades. 'POW camp. Germany' is a tonal study of the interior of the camp environment at Stalag Luft III in ink and pencil, and it explores light to reveal form. Taylor's brush technique allowed him to explore painting in monochrome and the challenges of representing his immediate surroundings. The subject of furnishings and anonymous figures is subordinated to capturing the animation of light, as it reveals and defines surfaces. This work was formerly known as ' Interior, Stalagluft III Germany'. The title was amended on advice from Gary Dufour - AGWA - based on title work exhibited as in 1949 solo exhibition of Taylor's work at Newspaper House, Perth.