Cooling Tower II
- Artist: Prunella Clough
- Date: 1958
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 968 x 917 x 24 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Cooling Tower II” by Prunella Clough. Painted in 1958, it’s an oil on canvas that turns a London industrial landmark into a study of pure form. Clough, one of Britain’s most respected post‑war painters, often blurred the line between abstraction and figuration. In this work she reduces the cooling tower to a bold, vertical rectangle that towers over a muted horizon. A smaller crane sits to its right, visibly dwarfed by the main structure. The horizon line is sharp and emphatic – a recurring device in her work that keeps the scene balanced against the overwhelming height of the tower. The background is intentionally vague, a soft wash that lets the tower and crane command the visual field. The painting captures Clough’s fascination with the industrial backdrop of London, turning everyday infrastructure into a striking composition of shape and scale.
See it in person
Cooling Tower II is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
