COVE

This painting by Sidney Sime was created between 1914-1930. They were made just nearing the end of and after the ‘Great War’ or World War I, which ended in 1918 via the treaty signing in Versailles, France (New York Times, 1). Though this image doesn’t first appear to match the theme of the gallery, I ask you to look towards the darker figure in the bottom right of the image. It appears like this figure is some sort of demonic one, to juxtapose the angelic figure near the top of the painting, and that this figure is much closer to the human-seeming woman to the bottom right of the image. I believe this comes from Sime’s own admittance that “I was much addicted to skeletons, likewise to ghosts and devils!” (The Strand, 394), meaning that he enjoys adding darker of macabre elements to his works: the devil is closer to the woman, about to leap upon her – that is the horror of this painting, as well as the subtle fear of how close the devil is in the first place.

Works Cited:

By The Associated Press. "WAR ENDS AT 6 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING: THE STATE DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AT 2:45 O'CLOCK. ARMISTICE WAS SIGNED IN FRANCE AT MIDNIGHT TERMS INCLUDE WITHDRAWAL FROM ALSACE-LORRAINE, DISARMING AND DEMOBILIZATION OF ARMY AND NAVY, AND OCCUPATION OF STRATEGIC NAVAL AND MILITARY POINTS." New York Times (1857-1922), Nov 11, 1918, pg 1. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fwar-ends-at-6-oclock-this-morning%2Fdocview%2F100187234%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838.

Sime, Sidney. “The Impassible Gulf”. 1914-1930, Sidney H. Sime Art Gallery, Worplesdon, UK. ArtUK, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/illustrative-12555.

Valentine, E. S. "Mr. S. H. Sime and His Work". The Strand, edited by George Newnes, Vol. XXXVI, July to December ed., George Newnes, LTD, 1908, pg. 394. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/TheStrandMagazineAnIllustratedMonthly/TheStrandMagazine1908bVol.XxxviJan-jun/page/n401/mode/1up.