A train aficionado friend of mine recently remarked that the London Underground is something of a ‘sweet spot’ regarding art subject matter as it appeals to a wide range of viewers, from tourists to local Londoners, and to railway and engineering buffs, amongst others. My own interest in the Underground goes back many years and I recall when I was much younger how my elder brother used to play the record “Down in a Tube station at midnight” by rock band The Jam. The lyrics and tone of the song went over my head but I used to ask him to put on the record so I could hear the real life Tube train sound effects!

In addition to painting familiar and well known Underground settings I also like to seek out less ‘picturesque’ place which depict a more austere view of the working capital. A recent example is Toward’s Shepherd’s Bush, a scruffy cutting located just east of the Central Line station Shepherd’s Bush in west London. In the scene an urbanised skyline features residential flats and the large shopping centre of Westfield in the distance which sit atop rusted railway tracks and wiggly electric cabling alongside a scrap yard, all set in a no-man’s land below. I found this view appealing because the train seems rather like a small model passing through a sort of theatre stage - a moving snap shot of contemporary life - where the old and the new, and the abandoned and the utilised share the same space.

Each Tube station makes a contribution to London’s collective sense of place in a unique way, whether great or small, which makes each one worth visiting and considering as a painting. Architectural heritage plays no small part in that, given the Underground’s rich history in unique and bold structures. Most famously perhaps are the dynamic stations of the New Works period in the 1930s and 40s. The work of architects such as Charles Holden (see Southgate station) stands up today as an epitome of a modern London Underground.

Go to Loughton station (a London Underground station not actually in London) and you will see another great example of this simple yet classic style, designed by John Murray Easton. The large semi circular fan light window that greets you at the entrance is reminiscent of King’s Cross railway station set in miniature grandeur. 

A painting I made of the booking hall interior shows electronic ticket barriers and the orange sodium lighting of the platform access route, which contrast against the original features of the window, high walls and curved ceiling. The quickly rendered painting is more like a study, but I deliberately kept details to a minimum, preferring to focus on the colour relationships and shapes in the scene. The floor is devoid of passengers, save for a kiosk assistant on the right. As with much of my urban themed work, I generally avoid adding in large groups of people, preferring to add them when necessary in creating a sense of animation or picture scale.

London seems to be evolving more and more into an international city, as reflected in it’s vastly expanding skyscrapers that could belong anywhere in the world. The Underground always reflects changes in contemporary society, adapting to the needs of its inhabitants, but thankfully it retains it’s own sense of identity, place and heritage. There is plenty more to see.