John Minton (1917-1957)

Minton was an English painter, illustrator, stage designer and teacher. He studied in France and began his career teaching in London, but he painted prolifically during this time. In addition to landscapes and portraits, he also built up a reputation as a book illustrator.

In the mid 1950’s, Minton found himself out of sync with the move to abstraction, and felt increasingly sidelined. He suffered psychological problems, self medicated with alcohol and in 1957 he committed suicide.

John Minton (1917-1957), Raking Seaweed, 1950

 

Ink, watercolour and gouache
10 1/8 x 14¾ in. (25.8 x 37.5 cm.)

This is one of the gouaches Minton made on an extended trip to Jamaica in 1950-51. It relates to the oil of The Fishing Canoe (repr. F. Spalding John Minton, 1991. Colour plate xvii).

The work was previously owned by the famous film director, Michael Powell (1905-1990).

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