Landscape and Windmill

Artist John Minton (Cambridge, England, 1917 - 1957)

Date1945

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 56.5 cm, Width: 76.5 cm
Frame: Height: 68 cm, Width: 88.3 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1977 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG000044

Keywords

About MeAfter the Second World War John Minton resumed painting and took up a teaching post at Camberwell School of Art and Crafts in London. He later taught at Central School of Arts and Crafts and at the Royal College. This painting dates from 1945, the year that Minton had his first solo exhibition in London, where he moved in artistic circles: from 1941 he shared a house with Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde which soon became a central meeting place for artists such as Jankel Adler, Francis Bacon, Keith Vaughan and Michael Ayrton.

A prolific draughtsman and illustrator, Minton's style, with its emphasis on strong graphic and lyrical qualities, was well-suited to illustration; he also designed posters, wallpapers and worked on some theatre designs.

It is not known where this landscape is set. The colours suggest the arid nature of the landscape, as does the spiked foliage of the plants: prickly pear and cactus. The windmill, often used for drawing water up for irrigation, also suggests foreign climes.

More About Me

Collections Wall

Although the title of this work does not describe where this landscape was set, are there any clues in the painting that might reveal more?

Exhibitions

Paradise Lost