Two women are welding at work benches. The sparks create contrast and light their faces. They have their hair in scarves, goggles and aprons on, yet their arms are bare and unprotected.
Nevinson's prints were particularly admired when first exhibited. He "contrives to make thevisitor almost giddy", one critic wrote, another that he possessed "the power of expressing sensations rather than visual facts".
Nevinson studied lithography under Ernest Jackson in 1912. At the outbreak of war he volunteered as an ambulance driver, an experience which deeply affected him. He was appointed an official war artist in 1917. These prints follow the process of building aircraft from making parts to assembly and flight. 'Acetylene Welder' and 'Assembling parts' both show the growing contribution of women workers.
Nevinson was born in London to the war correspondent and journalist Henry Nevinson. He studied at the Slade School and in Paris. He is one of the most renowned war artists of the period. His work was influenced by avant-garde European art movements such as Cubism and Futurism, yet slowly moved to a more realist style as he attempted to portray conflict.
This work forms part of the portfolio 'The Great War: Britain's Efforts and Ideals', a series of 66 lithographic prints commissioned by the Ministry of Information in 1917. The series provide a broad and fascinating representation of Britain's war objectives, military activities and effort on the Home Front.
