The Bridge

In this notable work by Sir Stanley Spencer, the artist used an oil on canvas technique to create a comfortable scene where gatherers intentionally met on the bridge to observe most likely a water sport or activity, such as a boat regatta.

Like in many of his paintings The Bridge offers a glimpse at what everyday life might look like in the Englishman's native village of Cookman. Known as a historic town on the River Thames in northeast Berkshire in England, the artwork setting shows no signs of a busy city center life and concentrates on the purity of a small and picturesque place in both time and location. In it we see a group of people gathered on a stone bridge with simply carved railings as they gaze over the water in a quaint village.

Most of the onlookers are men standing on a local pebbled bridge, with a few of them seen under it below. It is obvious that they are not merely passing through and crossing the bridge as one can see them leaning over the rails with great interest to see what is happening in the distance. Notably, the only females shown are the backs of a woman and young girl who are crossing the bridge from one side to the other and choose not to engage in the viewing. In the Bridge, by Sir Stanley Spencer we see the primary use of muted and neutral tones such as beige, grey, brown, white and taupe with the only pop of color being orange hues and the navy blue of the girl's hair ribbon.

Painted in 1920 the scene shows a dynamic between rest and work in that the people are wearing dress clothes and suits, but have stopped to take a moment to enjoy the outdoors. This along with a dog resting comfortably and lazily on the bridge tells us that there is a time for relaxation and to simply enjoy life. By first sketching and then oil painting, there is depth and detail to this masterful artwork, The Bridge that otherwise wouldn't be displayed. The various textures come through the flowers, the soft fur on the dog, and even in the shading used on the folds of the clothes spectators are wearing.