λ AUGUSTUS JOHN (BRITISH 1878-1961), MODEL FROM BRITISH GUIANA

λ AUGUSTUS JOHN (BRITISH 1878-1961) MODEL FROM BRITISH GUIANA Oil on canvas Signed (upper right) 117 x 71.5cm (46 x 28in.) Painted circa 1937 Provenance: Arthur Tooth and Sons Ltd., London Sale, Sotheby's, London, 10 June 1998, lot 150 Exhibited: London, Arthur Tooth and Sons Ltd, Paintings and Drawings not previously exhibited by Augustus John, O.M., Royal Academician, 15-30 March 1961, cat. no. 11 As early as 1911, John had expressed a desire to visit the West Indies, writing to Dorelia, I think Jamaica would be a nice place to go and work. (Michael Holroyd, Augustus John, A Biography, Heineman, 1974, vol. II, p. 141). However, it was not until 1937 that he finally visited, arriving in March and staying until May. He found the landscape altogether too fertile, although parts of it reminded him of North Wales. However, he was captivated by the people he encountered and found that he was painting with a renewal of energy quite remarkable and will not cease til I have accomplished much (op. cit. p. 142). He was keen to live simply whilst there and rejected the formal, colonial way of life as much as possible. The portraits that were produced during this period are characterised by a bold, direct approach and strong sense of the personality of his sitters. Several of his West Indian portraits were exhibited at Tooth’s in May-June 1938, where they caused a sensation, virtually selling-out and with glowing press articles. The present portrait appears not have been exhibited in this earlier exhibition, but was amongst the 49 previously unexhibited works, shown at Tooth's in 1961. Whether the artist met the sitter when he was in Jamaica, or in London is unknown. Condition Report Disclaimer, λ, λ AUGUSTUS JOHN (BRITISH 1878-1961) MODEL FROM BRITISH GUIANA Oil on canvas Signed (upper right) 117 x 71.5cm (46 x 28in.) Painted circa 1937 Provenance: Arthur Tooth and Sons Ltd., London Sale, Sotheby's, London, 10 June 1998, lot 150 Exhibited: London, Arthur Tooth and Sons Ltd, Paintings and Drawings not previously exhibited by Augustus John, O.M., Royal Academician, 15-30 March 1961, cat. no. 11 As early as 1911, John had expressed a desire to visit the West Indies, writing to Dorelia, I think Jamaica would be a nice place to go and work. (Michael Holroyd, Augustus John, A Biography, Heineman, 1974, vol. II, p. 141). However, it was not until 1937 that he finally visited, arriving in March and staying until May. He found the landscape altogether too fertile, although parts of it reminded him of North Wales. However, he was captivated by the people he encountered and found that he was painting with a renewal of energy quite remarkable and will not cease til I have accomplished much (op. cit. p. 142). He was keen to live simply whilst there and rejected the formal, colonial way of life as much as possible. The portraits that were produced during this period are characterised by a bold, direct approach and strong sense of the personality of his sitters. Several of his West Indian portraits were exhibited at Tooth’s in May-June 1938, where they caused a sensation, virtually selling-out and with glowing press articles. The present portrait appears not have been exhibited in this earlier exhibition, but was amongst the 49 previously unexhibited works, shown at Tooth's in 1961. Whether the artist met the sitter when he was in Jamaica, or in London is unknown. AUGUSTUS JOHN (BRITISH 1878-1961), MODEL FROM BRITISH GUIANA, circa, Provenance:, Exhibited:, Paintings and Drawings not previously exhibited by Augustus John, O.M., Royal Academician, I think Jamaica would be a nice place to go and work. Augustus John, A Biography, altogether too fertile, painting with a renewal of energy quite remarkable and will not cease til I have accomplished much, op. cit. Condition Report Disclaimer

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