Richard Eurich (1903-1992)

The Wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie

Eurich was born in Bradford and studied at the Slade School of Art. A childhood holiday at the seaside gave him a lifelong love of the sea which became a recurring feature in his work. After launching his career with successful exhibitions in London he moved to Dibden Purlieu beside Southampton Water in 1934. He was an Official War Artist for the Admiralty during the Second World War.

Eurich found little time for his own projects during the war but must have returned to sketches made in 1936 to paint the Herzogin Cecilie stuck on the Ham Stone Rock near Salcombe. The wreck had drawn huge crowds but he chose to represent the ship on a quiet, rainy day and there is an odd dreamlike quality to the scene that is found in much of Eurich's work.

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