Artist profile: Augustus John

“A great man of action, into whose hands the fairies had stuck a brush instead of a sword.” Such is the description of Augustus John, one of Britain’s most beloved painters, coined by fellow artist Wyndham Lewis; it goes some way towards capturing the intense energy, joie de vivre and flair that he’ll be forever known for.

By the time he moved into 33 Tite Street in 1940, John, then a dapper, moustachioed man in his 60s with a penchant for hats, had cemented his reputation as one of Britain’s most highly-regarded portrait artists. Born in Wales, he briefly attended the Tenby School of Art before decamping to London and the allure of the Slade School of Fine Art, where he would be recognised as the most talented draughtsman of his generation.

His numerous passionate relationships with notable Bohemian women of the early 20th century provided fertile artistic soil, but it was his 1919 encounter with the Marchesa Luisa Casati in Paris that produced one of his most arresting works. Known as a Venetian It-girl, the Marchesa’s legendary kohl-rimmed eyes and dyed red hair have been depicted in over 125 known portraits. Today her steady gaze and provocative stance, as executed by John, are framed over the studio fireplace at 33 Tite Street in a handmade reproduction that pays tribute to his legacy.

Held to be one of the most important painters of the 20th century, John’s style of portraiture varies considerably depending on his connection to the sitter; his depictions of soldiers and statesmen, for example, are serious and dry in tone. In contrast, Portrait of David, a depiction of his son, is warm, flushed with energy and life, and shows the strength of his bond with his many children. Portraits of fellow creatives, like his 1938/9 painting of the writer Dylan Thomas, show a brilliant understanding of colouring and paint application. John recalls of Dylan, whom he met in London’s Fitzroy Tavern: “I got him to sit for me twice, the second portrait being the more successful: provided with a bottle of beer he sat very patiently.”

John’s last work, completed in 1961, depicts a French peasant in a waistcoat playing a hurdy-gurdy on a village street, and is considered to be the painter’s final farewell. As the pre-eminent portraitist of his day, Augustus John has been dubbed “the King of Bohemia”, his artistic vitality only matched by his own sense of outrageous individuality.