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1940s

Following the outbreak of war, Bloch, along with other German nationals, was interned in 1940 as an enemy alien, initially in Huyton in Lancashire, and then in the Sefton Internment camp in Douglas, Isle of Man. He recorded his experiences in many drawings and, after his release, in the painting: 'Miracle in the Internment Camp' (1941).

Following his release from internment in 1941 he volunteered as a fire watcher for the Home Guard and he was given Ministry of Defence clearance to record bomb damage in the City of London painting a dramatic pair of scenes in the City: 'Survival' (1941) and 'Scorched Trees, City of London' (1943). He also recorded the more domestic effects of the Blitz: 'Kensington Roofs after the Fire-Raid' (1944) in Bristol City Art Gallery is a close up view of the burnt roofs against a eerie yellow sky seen from his flat, whilst 'Backs of Houses, Camden Hill Road' (1944) shows a barrage balloon floating above the houses. Refugee artists were also active outside London:  Bloch was included in the seminal Jewish art exhibition at the Jewish Institute in Glasgow in December 1943. After the war Bloch continued to paint in England, with several paintings from 1946 dating from visits to Dorset including 'Blackmore Vale' and 'Cress beds near Shaftesbury'. Bloch became a British citizen in 1947 and in the years after the war visited and painted in France, America and Wales.

Miracle in the Internment Camp 1940 painting by Martin Bloch

Miracle in the Internment Camp

1940

Dream of the Dragon 1940 painting by Martin Bloch

Dream of the Dragon

1940

Iris and Tulips 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

Iris and Tulips

1941

St Mary Aldenbury, City of London 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

St Mary Aldenbury, City of London

1941

African Mask 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

African Mask

1941

Laburnum and May Trees 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

Laburnum and May Trees

1941

Survival 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

Survival

1941

Flowers 1941 painting by Martin Bloch

Flowers

1941

Self Portrait with Red Cap 1942 painting by Martin Bloch

Self Portrait with Red Cap

1942 

Kensington Roofs after a Fire Raid 1942 painting by Martin Bloch

Kensington Roofs after a Fire Raid

1942

Fog in Mayfair Mews 1943 painting by Martin Bloch

Fog in Mayfair Mews

1943

Scorched Trees 1943 painting by Martin Bloch

Scorched Trees

1943

Cherub's Head 1943-4 painting by Martin Bloch

Cherub's Head

1943-4

Dusk in Wartime London 1944 painting by Martin Bloch

Dusk in Wartime London

1944

Still Life with Oriental Figure 1944 painting by Martin Bloch

Still Life with Oriental Figure

1944

Allen Street 1944 painting by Martin Bloch

Allen Street

1944

Backs of Houses 1941-44 painting by Martin Bloch

Backs of Houses

1941-44

Campden Hill Road, London 1944 painting by Martin Bloch

Campden Hill Road, London

1944

Blackmore Vale 1946 painting by Martin Bloch

Blackmore Vale

1946

Blackmore Vale Against the Sun 1946 painting by Martin Bloch

Blackmore Vale Against the Sun

1946

Clump of Trees 1946 painting by Martin Bloch

Clump of Trees

1946

Cressbeds Near Shaftesbury 1946 painting by Martin Bloch

Cressbeds Near Shaftesbury

1946

Down from Welsh Quarries 1948 painting by Martin Bloch

Down from Welsh Quarries

1948

Chestnut Trees 1949 painting by Martin Bloch

Chestnut Trees

1949

The Mississippi at Minneapolis 1948-50 painting by Martin Bloch

The Mississippi at Minneapolis

1948-50

New Mexico Ranch 1949 painting by Martin Bloch

New Mexico Ranch

1949

From Colorado to New Mexico 1949 painting by Martin Bloch

From Colorado to New Mexico

1949