Tom Purvis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Purvis (12 June 1888 - 27
August 1959) was a British painter and commercial poster artist.
Purvis was born in Bristol, the son
of sailor and marine artist TG Purvis. He studied at Camberwell
School of Art and worked for six years at the advertising firm of
Mather and Crowther before becoming a freelance designer. Purvis
developed a bold, two-dimensional style using large blocks of vivid
flat colour and eliminating detail.
From 1923 to 1945 Purvis worked for
the LNER under the direction of Advertising Manager William Teasdale
and then his successor Charles Dandridge, who both allowed him
considerable freedom in his designs. During his time at the LNER
Purvis produced over 100 posters, around 5-6 per year or one every
two months. He enjoyed a very high status in the LNER's advertising
department as he was one of the major designers involved in the
recognisable bold and graphic LNER poster style. He was so important
to the LNER that he was paid a retainer of approximately £450 per
annum to carry out his work.
His posters for the LNER largely
avoided depictions of the trains themselves but rather concentrated
on portraying the resorts that were the holiday destinations of
travellers and the leisure pursuits that could be enjoyed there. Sex
appeal was quite a strong element of Purvis's work, with many
posters portraying women in bathing costumes with bare arms and legs
- quite risqué in 1930's Britain! As well as individual posters,
Purvis also produced two sets of six posters for the LNER that could
either stand alone or be joined together to produce a single,
overall image. The ... by LNER series portrays six seaside resorts,
each shown at an unusual angle, to form a continuous landscape in
the background as the posters, like the trains themselves, travel up
the east coast of Britain from Essex to Suffolk, Lincolnshire,
Yorkshire and finally Northumberland. The East Coast Joys set,
depicting various leisure activities, has a relaxed, simplified
style and the warm colours give it an almost Mediterranean feel,
emphasising that the east coast is 'the drier side of Britain'.
As well as his work for the LNER,
Purvis also designed posters for the Gentlemans' outfitters Austen
Reed and for the 1932 British Industries Fair. In 1930 he joined the
Society of Industrial Artists, a group which put pressure on
industry to improve standards of training for graphic designers and
provide a wider range of employment for them. In 1936 Purvis became
one of the first Royal Designers for Industry. He gave up poster
design after the Second World War to paint portraits and religious
pictures.
