Street Scene, Ystradgynlais , 1945
42 x 50.9 cm (h x w)
Oil on canvas

© Josef Herman estate

In 1944, when Herman visited the tiny mining town of Ystradgynlais in South Wales, he was drawn to the close-knit community, which, much like his own had its own language, customs and culture. He made his home there for the next eleven years and his dignified studies of miners and other working people made his reputation as a painter. Although shrouded in darkness, this street scene, studded with jewels of colour, exudes tranquillity. The working man standing by the door marks the moment when work ceases and the tired labourers wander home at the end of the day.

Exhibited by:

Ben Uri Research Unit

Other works by Josef Herman (1911-2000)

Miners , n.d.
48.8 x 67.2 cm (h x w)
Oil on board
Ben Uri Research Unit
Miner in Landscape , 1952
56 x 74 cm (h x w)
Mixed media
Ben Uri Research Unit
In the Canteen , 1954
91.4 x 122 cm (h x w)
Oil on canvas
Ben Uri Research Unit
Mother and Child , 1945-47
33 x 41.3 cm (h x w)
Oil on board
Ben Uri Research Unit
Miner Returning Home , 1957
Oil on canvas
Ben Uri Research Unit

More from Ben Uri Research Unit

Refugee Child on the Road , 2021
60 x 42 cm (h x w)
Acrylic and pastel on paper
Ben Uri Research Unit
Journey , 2021
58 x 60 cm (h x w)
Collage
Ben Uri Research Unit
At the Border , 2021
95 x 107 cm (h x w)
Collage
Ben Uri Research Unit
Mother , 2021
58 x 60 cm (h x w)
collage
Ben Uri Research Unit
Child Refugee in the Camp , 2019
35 x 45 cm (h x w)
acrylic and pastel
Ben Uri Research Unit