John Piper is a household name in the world of contemporary and modern art, especially so in modern-day Britain. For him it all began shortly before the outbreak of war.
Coming to painting late, Piper was attached to the army as a painter during the Second World War. He executed a series of paintings of war torn British streets, houses and monuments. Most notably of those, the House of Commons and the city of bath.
Piper’s architectural theme underwent several changes in the growth of his career before attaining the characteristic and portrait-like melodrama in his castles and houses. The low-hung skies and grand architecture are now readily associated with his name, and since, many others.
In the transitional years his scale of values was again and again revised. For example, around 1933, the Parisian influence of his contemporaries, Braque and Helion, sent his style toward two dimensional abstract compositions. Most frequently on vertical arrangements of flat colours.
However, with the years he increasingly felt himself drawn to the traditions of eighteenth century English romanticism, chiefly in landscape painting. His works embodied a certain rough and scumble drama of British countryside; no less in the manner of his handling paint.
That one who sees landscape so greatly in terms of the theatre backcloth, should have found himself directly engaged in decor is scarcely surprising. Piper later became well known as a theatre and ballet designer. Of particular note, is the association of his name with the operas of Benjamin Britten. For which works he produced settings of striking and affecting power. Throughout his career, John Piper continued to seek and to find and undertook a great deal of graphic work as well as writing.
Commenti