Fire Over London

Beginning in September of 1940, the German Luftwaffe targeted London and other industrial cities around Britain in a mass bombing campaign that would later become known as ‘the Blitz’. ‘Black Saturday’ marked the first aerial attack, focusing on bombing dockland to disrupt trade and supply - the Pool of London, as depicted in Pears’ painting, was one such target. The raids continued for 57 consecutive nights and marked a dark era of 20th century British history, when the conflict was brought right to the United Kingdom’s doorstep. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured, with an estimated 30,000 civilian casualties within London alone. 

This painting evokes the terror of these September raids, with the dominating bright orange palette indicating the fiery destruction wreaked by the Luftwaffe’s campaign. Indeed, one large air raid in late December resulted in a firestorm so large that it became known as the Second Great Fire of London. Tapering brushstrokes of white indicate the searchlights that were used to help anti-aircraft guns bring down enemy planes, and represent the bravery of the men and women who manned these lights. The silhouettes of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge indicate an element of hope - these bastions of British culture and icons of the London skyline are still standing, in spite of the surrounding havoc.

A similar but larger version of this picture is held in the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London (ID: 1563).

Charles Pears
Charles Pears was born in 1873 in Pontefract, Yorkshire. He studied at Eat Hardwick and Pomfret College where he gained a life-long appreciation for Canaletto.

He was artistically active from 1890, working as an illustrator throughout his career, including works in The Yellow Book and Punch. However, Pears was best known as a marine painter and often signed his works 'Chas Pears'. He was the first elected President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and also wrote a number of books on small boat cruising.

He was a commissioned officer in the Royal Marines during the First World War, working as an official war artist during both the First and Second World Wars.

From 1913 to 1936 Pears worked as a poster artist, working for the the likes of London Underground, Great Western Railway and British Airways.

Pears passed away in Truro in 1958. His works are held in the collections of the London Transport Museum, National Martine Museum, National Railway Museum and Imperial War Museum. He is commemorated in a prize at the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Charles Pears Memorial Award.