Snow in Springtime

John Edgar Platt

After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1908 he worked as the head of Leek School of Art for nine years until 1919. In 1917 Platt exhibited at the International Society of Sculptors and at the Arts and Craft Society. Two of his best-known prints, Snow in Springtime (1919) and The Giant Stride (1918) are from this period.

This energetic color woodcut "Snow in Springtime", one of John Platt’s earliest, was revolutionary in every way. Rarely had the leaders of Britain’s early 20th-century color woodcut revival depicted movement so vividly and in such a modern, contemporary setting. Nor were they in the habit of using family members as models.

The two girls sharing the swing are Platt’s sisters, Marian and Kathleen. Safely off to the side are his young children, Anthea and Michael. After making this print, seen here in an exceptionally crisp, colorful impression, the meticulous Platt returned to tradition and spent the 1920s doing mostly landscapes.