1971


PHYLLIS LAWSON

[PAINTINGS] . [DRAWINGS] . [BIOGRAPHY] .


Publications: "Phyllis Lawson-a short biography" by H.E.Roese, 2008, published by CARECK, Cardiff FC23 6LH/16.
and "Josef Herman's Influence on other Painters" by H.E.Roese, in The David Jones Journal, Vol.VI, 2007
also "Phyllis Lawson: a catalogue of works", 1978, private publication

Phyllis Lawson, born in London and brought up there, studied art at Willesden Art College. At one of Josef Herman’s exhibitions upon his return from Wales to London, she was introduced to him and asked if he would teach her. He explained that, as a rule, he did not take on students, but he was willing to look at two pieces of her work which were being exhibited at the time. One of them was called Men on Strike, which promised to be an interesting subject. They made enough of an impression on Herman for him to agree to take her on (see also 'The Art & Life of Josef Herman', 2009, p.119). Lawson knew that much of what she had learnt at college had to be ‘unlearnt’ (the first piece of advice she was given). She also knew that what she wanted to paint needed tutelage from a different quarter. Under Herman’s guidance, her natural desire to paint in the manner for which she was to become known, blossomed. For the first time in her career she acquired real freedom to express herself.

Thereafter, Phyllis spent five years painting in Bolivia under the Southern hemisphere's light and the brilliant colours it engenders. Her first exhibiton in La Paz in 1958 reverberated throughout the expatriate community and the embassadors of the U.K., the U.S.A. and Italy acquired their first Phyllis Lawson paintings. Other collectors soon followed suit from Canada, Cuba, Brazil, Switzerland and Holland. It was a heady experience for the young artist but also a very happy and elating period for a painter of her caliber. In 1961 her Bolivian adventure came to an end and, via Baltimore in the USA where she stayed for a while, Lawson returned to Europe. Here she embarked on 20 years of the most prolific painting period of her career. In her biography this period is entitled "Images of Relationships", a subject that turned out to be the driving force behind her exuberant work. Country folk, landscapes, beach scenes, Mother and Child images and portraits now dominated her pallet. Her amazingly astute eye for the human scene and its associated movements could almost be compared with the perfect sight-reading skills of a musician. In 1985 significant changes took place in her life, which lead her to abandon her previous metier and concentrate on the subject of the nude, one that has occupied many a woman painter. Lawson's search for simplicity of expression had reached a point where the pose alone mattered. Typical of this period is a panel of many miniature paintings in a collage tantalising the eye into moving rapidly from one form to another with curiosity and inquisitiveness. It is a vibrant, resonating experience.

A selection of paintings from 1953 to 1996.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
to enlarge, click images

6. 7. 8 9. 10.
11.

1.) "Idyll", 1953, oil on board, 50x60cm (private collection).
2.) "Bolivian Farm Scene", 1957, water colour on paper, 18x23cm (private collection)
3.) "The Eggseller", 1957, charcoal on paper + oil (added later), 61x51cm (private collection)
4.) "Man & Donkey in Landscape", 1959, oil on paper, 23x18cm (private collection).
5.) "On the Beach I", 1967, oil on canvas, 72x93cm (private collection U.K.).
6.) "On the Farm" (Belgium), 1969, oil on canvas, 120x90cm (private collection U.K.)
7.) "Three Fishermen in a Boat", 1970, water colour, 25x20cm, (private collection France), study for an oil painting
8.) "Village in Brittany", 1971, oil on canvas, 70x59cm (private collection Belgium)
9.) "Mother & Child", 1975, oil on canvas, 122x89cm (private collection)
10) "Swimmers III", 1993, oil on canvas, 153x92cm (artist's collection)
11) "Nude Scenes", 1996, oil on paper, 81x82cm (artist's collection)

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A selection of drawings and linocuts from 1958 to 1995.


1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

1.) "Three Cholas", 1959, pen & wash on paper, 17x23cm (private collection U.K.).
2.) "Water Carrier", 1960, pen & wash on paper, 17x23cm (private collection U.K.)
3.) "Mother & Child", 1981, lino cut, 8x8cm (private collection)
4.) "Fishermen 1", 1986, pen, crayon & wash on paper, 10x15cm (private collection).
5.) "Fishermen 2", 1985, lino cut, 10x15cm (private collection).
6.) "Beach Scene", c.1992, pen, wash & water colour on paper, c.20x30cm (private collection Denmark).
7.) "Farm House", c.1995, water colour on paper, c.20x30cm (pricate collection Denmark).

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