Out of Chaos

"Why in the height of a world war, should there be this terrific interest in painting?"

Acclaimed documentary director Jill Craigie's enlightening account of the role of art in WWII is something of a filmic mural. From Henry Moore's drawings of the London Underground during bombing raids to Stanley Spencer's evocative shipbuilding panels, via Evelyn Dunbar's depiction of land girls, all the big names in the 1940s art world make an appearance in this film.

In keeping with the inclusive spirit of the war effort, amateur artists are also given screen time - and wall time - as you'll see in the Royal Academy's 1941 exhibition of paintings by firefighters, titled Firemen Artists. This show included the work of the much-lauded Leonard Rosoman, war artist and firefighter in the National Fire Service.