Augustus John: Drawn from Life

Augustus John was a renowned British artist in the first three decades of the 20th century, famous for his outstanding portraits, etchings, and drawings. He was born in Wales in 1878 and educated at the Slade School of Art in London. He was a gifted draughtsman and was likened to a British Gauguin. After the War, he became Britains leading society portraitist, earning a fortune in commissions. His more personal paintings of friends, lovers, family, and fellow artists and writers best revealed his great talents.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2018
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing

Augustus John (1878-1961) was widely regarded as one of the greatest living British artists during the first three decades of the 20th century. He was famous not only for his exceptional portraits, etchings, and drawings but also for his extraordinary Bohemian lifestyle. John was born in Wales in 1878 and received his education at the Slade School of Art in London in the 1890s. The school emphasized the study of daily life and a close examination of the Old Masters. During his time at the Slade, John quickly emerged as a remarkably talented draftsman. In fact, the American painter John Singer Sargent praised Johns youthful drawings, stating that they were among the finest seen since the Renaissance. John divided his life between England, Wales, and France, and he reached the height of his artistic prowess in the years preceding the outbreak of the Great War. By 1910, he was likened to a British Gauguin, a Welsh Post-Impressionist known for his bold use of color and his intentionally naive and primitive style. He used these techniques to explore the complex blend of romanticism, escapism, and alienation that characterized 20th-century life. The great American collector John Quinn considered John and his sister Gwen to be key European artists. His work was included in the influential Armory Show in New York in 1913. After the War, John became Britain's leading society portraitist, earning a fortune in commissions. However, it was his more personal paintings of friends, lovers, family, and fellow artists and writers such as W.B. Yeats, T.E. Lawrence, Dylan Thomas, Ottoline Morrell, and his muse/mistress Dorelia McNeill that best revealed his great talents.

Published to coincide with exhibitions at Poole Museum in Dorset in the summer of 2018 and at Salisbury Museum in Wiltshire in the summer of 2019, Augustus John: Drawn from Life re-examines the life and work of this significant but increasingly overlooked artist.

Weight: 594g
Dimension: 276 x 219 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911300359