Linda Kitson
Encyclopedia
Linda Kitson is a British artist. She is best known for her work as an official war artist
during the Falklands Conflict.
, where she specialised in illustration
. She then taught at Camberwell College of Arts
, Chelsea College of Art and Design
and the City and Guilds Art School.
as the official war artist
for the Falklands Task Force
. She is the first female artist to have been officially commissioned to accompany troops in battle.
In May 1982, Kitson sailed to the Falklands with 3,000 men on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and later the SS Canberra
, arriving on 3 June 1982. She followed British forces across the island to Stanley
, usually three or four days behind the action. Over a period of three months, under conditions of sleet, hail, snow, mud and sub-zero temperatures, and working at speed, she made over 400 drawings in conté
crayon
. She drew continuously, recording training and preparation; the transfer at South Georgia to SS Canberra, the landings at San Carlos Bay
, the deployment of the forces to Goose Green
, Fitzroy
, Darwin
, and Port Stanley
. Following the ceasefire in June, she drew the aftermath of the fighting. She captured the daily life of the troops and the conditions under which they had to operate, showing all aspects of the conflict except the fighting.
After the re-taking of the Falklands, Kitson returned to Britain with the Welsh Guards
and Royal Engineers
.
Many of Kitson's drawings are now part of the Imperial War Museum’s art collection, and were exhibited to the general public in November 1982. They are featured again in the Museum's exhibition Women War Artists, in 2011-2012.
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
during the Falklands Conflict.
Early life
Kitson studied at St Martins School of Art and the Royal College of ArtRoyal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, where she specialised in illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
. She then taught at Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
, Chelsea College of Art and Design
Chelsea College of Art and Design
Chelsea College of Art and Design, the erstwhile Chelsea School of Art, is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation...
and the City and Guilds Art School.
Falklands conflict
Kitson was commissioned by the Artistic Records Committee of the Imperial War MuseumImperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
as the official war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
for the Falklands Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
. She is the first female artist to have been officially commissioned to accompany troops in battle.
In May 1982, Kitson sailed to the Falklands with 3,000 men on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and later the SS Canberra
SS Canberra
SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...
, arriving on 3 June 1982. She followed British forces across the island to Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
, usually three or four days behind the action. Over a period of three months, under conditions of sleet, hail, snow, mud and sub-zero temperatures, and working at speed, she made over 400 drawings in conté
Conté
Conté, also known as Conté sticks or Conté crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base, square in cross-section...
crayon
Crayon
A crayon is a stick of colored wax, charcoal, chalk, or other materials used for writing, coloring, drawing, and other methods of illustration. A crayon made of oiled chalk is called an oil pastel; when made of pigment with a dry binder, it is simply a pastel; both are popular media for color...
. She drew continuously, recording training and preparation; the transfer at South Georgia to SS Canberra, the landings at San Carlos Bay
San Carlos Water
Not to be confused with the San Carlos River.San Carlos Water is a bay/fjord on the west coast of East Falkland, facing onto the Falkland Sound.-Name:...
, the deployment of the forces to Goose Green
Goose Green
Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 70, it is the second largest settlement of the Falkland Islands.Goose Green has a shop...
, Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Falkland Islands
Fitzroy is a settlement on East Falkland. It is divided into Fitzroy North and Fitzroy South.It is named after Robert FitzRoy who sailed with Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle, andis on the inlet known as Port Pleasant....
, Darwin
Darwin, Falkland Islands
Darwin is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland, lying on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, north of Goose Green...
, and Port Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
. Following the ceasefire in June, she drew the aftermath of the fighting. She captured the daily life of the troops and the conditions under which they had to operate, showing all aspects of the conflict except the fighting.
After the re-taking of the Falklands, Kitson returned to Britain with the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
and Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
.
Many of Kitson's drawings are now part of the Imperial War Museum’s art collection, and were exhibited to the general public in November 1982. They are featured again in the Museum's exhibition Women War Artists, in 2011-2012.