Moment of Victory

Rothenstein is best known as an English printmaker, though he was also a painter and illustrator. Rothenstein actually illustrated the first UK edition of John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men.

Rothenstein was the youngest son of celebrated artist Sir William Rothenstein, and his brother John was the head of the Tate Gallery. Using his family connections, he played a significant role in the formation of the Great Bardfield Artists, a group of artists from the village of Bardfield in Essex, whose styles were distinct, but unified by a shared interest in figurative art.

Moment of Victory, an etching and aquatint, was a winner in the engravings and lithographs category, for which Rothenstein received £50. The abstract design of a purple pitch with colourful swirls might be interpreted as rosettes, floodlights or even players.