An independent pioneer of ‘social realism’, his densely-populated landscapes showed real people struggling to live in the north French countryside.
landscape
Their landscapes developed a magic distinctive to the artist. Only by direct comparison are their similarities and differences made clear.
Some of his last magical paintings of the Norwegian mountains and farms, and a brief overview of the development of his prints.
His final series of Landscapes of the Moon and Aerial Flowers are among his most visionary, and refer to much of his previous work, and that of William Blake.
Ignoring Cubism and modernism, he developed a magical realism, bringing to life the trees and corn stooks around his smallholding.
Appointed as a full-time war artist to the RAF, he was expected to paint portraits of aircrew. He had other, much better ideas.
After a visit to Berlin, his colours became more strident, and his brushstrokes looser. He also made many woodcuts, which influenced and informed his paintings.
At the height of his surrealism, his paintings were inspired by found objects, Freud, and the megalithic monuments of Wessex.
With early success, he painted the rich colours of summer in western Norway, and some magical scenes of foxgloves and Midsummer Eve.
Rainbows are one of nature’s grand spectacles. How careful, then, have painters been to get their colours in the ‘right’ order?
The Eclectic Light Company 