Colossi Castle

Kenneth Howard is an English artist, president of the New English Art Club (1998-2003). He was official war artist to Northern Ireland, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Canada with the British Army. He paints in the traditional manner with tonal precision, and he is fascinated by light. He gained the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010. The print of the watercolour of Kolossi castle presents the castle surrounded by thick vegetation. In the courtyard in front of the castle, a number of figures dressed in medieval clothing re-enact the atmosphere of medieval Cyprus. In the centre of the scene, British and UN soldiers are gathered. The cross on the shields of medieval soldiers alludes to the knights of St. John. According to legend, the castle was built by Richard the Lionheart. The knights of St. John are closely linked to the medieval history of England while British troops are established in the British Sovereign Bases of Cyprus and form part on the UN Force on the island. This painting was in fact created on the occasion of the Duke of Gloucester’s visit to The Gloucestershire Regiment (part of the UN Contingent in Nicosia) in October of 1982. During this visit, Paul Gardner of the Gloucester Regiment, provided a demonstration on handling Crusader weapons while dressed as a knight. Howard, who witnessed this demonstration, included the likeness of Paul in this painting. He can be seen standing on the right in the foreground, in his Crusader costume, with his sword resting over his shoulder. He appears to be the only figure to look directly out at the viewer.