John Bratby
Born – London, England 1928
Died – London, England 1992
John Bratby has a mixed reputation but is popularly known as one of the so-called “Kitchen Sink” School of painters who came to prominence within the British art scene during the 1950s. Bratby trained at the Royal College where he quickly achieved notoriety for painting college dustbins rather than concentrating on traditionally academic subject matter. He achieved early success with his first exhibition in 1954. He won awards in 1956 and 1958 while representing Britain at the Venice Biennale. His work during the 1950s accords with the gritty realism that was prevalent in English literature at the time. In painterly terms this view of the world manifested itself in images of domestic life and tableaux created on table-tops and window ledges with everyday items. Bratby’s thick paint, bright colours and apparent disregard for careful draughtsmanship is typified by Still Life with a Chip Frier. His style was considered shocking and led to accusations of vulgarity. This seems most appropriate with regard to his latest paintings featuring his second wife, Patti. However, his work has been widely collected and in the 1960s and 1970s he received a number of commissions for portraits of well-known figures.
Masterpieces:
- Window, Self-Portrait, Jean and Hands
- Gloria with Angst
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About john bratby
The Great Bratby: A Portrait of John Bratby RA (Art + Design)
Maurice Yacowar
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Breakdown
John BRATBY
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John Bratby Portraits
Robin Gibson
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