AUGUSTUS JOHN

(British, 1878-1961)

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG ROMANY WOMAN

Sanguine on Hand-laid Paper

18 ½ x 14 Inches

Born in Tenby, on the Welsh coast, Augustus John first studied at the Slade School of Art in London. While there, he fell under the influence of James Abbott McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent. Learning from both, he came to paint portraits just as brilliantly, charmingly and revealingly as either of his teachers. He placed his technique at the service of his subject matter, and this instinct, which most modern painters scorn, is the first essential of portraiture.  From 1901 until 1904 he served as Professor of Painting at Liverpool University and from 1911 until 1914 he worked with George Inness in Wales. In 1921 he was elected an Associate Royal Academician and, in 1928, a full member of the Royal Academy. We are pleased to offer this stunning example of Augustus John’s work dating to the first quarter of the twentieth century and painted on one of the artists’ visits to the east coast of the United States.

Reference:

Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Vol. VII, p. 555; Davenport’s Art Reference Guide, 2003/4 Edition, p. 1260; The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, Johnson and Greutzner, 1980 Edition, p. 270; 20th Century Painters and Sculptors, Spalding, p. 270; Artfact.com; Askart.com; et al.