Building Mosquitoes

John Armstrong was already an established artist and designer by the time of the Second World War. Despite a period at St John’s Wood School of Art that was interrupted by service in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War, Armstrong was largely self-taught. In 1928 he had his first one-man exhibition and in 1933 became a member of the modernist group Unit One, founded by his friend Paul Nash. Armstrong’s work at this time demonstrated the influence of Surrealism, his interest in Greek mythology and his increasing political awareness of the rise of Fascism. During the Second World War he was given several commissions by the WAAC, of which 'Building Mosquitoes' is one. It demonstrates one of his characteristic techniques, namely the use of small textured brushstrokes and contrasting colour, with the ceiling lights illuminating the light wood of the aircraft fuselages against a dark background.