John Nash
1893-1977
He had no formal training as a painter but was persuaded by his elder brother, Paul, to take up the career of artist, beginning with drawing and watercolour. He started painting with oils around 1914 and began wood engraving in 1919. His reputation rests chiefly on his landscapes, particularly the watercolours, which have the direct vision of the countryman and an unassuming candour combined with poetic insight. In 1913 he had a successful exhibition together with his brother at the Dorien Leigh Gallery and became a member of the London Group. In 1915, as a member of the Cumberland Market Group, he exhibited with Gilman, Bevan and Ginner at the Goupil Gallery. His first one-man show was at the Goupil Gallery in 1921. He was an official War Artist in 1918 and again in 1940. He taught at the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, from 1922 to 1927 and at the Royal College of Art 1934-40 and again from 1945. He was made ARA in 1940 and RA in 1951. A retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Leicester Galleries in 1954. Besides his drawings and landscape paintings John Nash illustrated some 26 books, many of them botanical works. Best known are his illustrations to R. Gathorne-Hardy's Wild Flowers in Britain (1938) and English Garden Flowers and Gilbert White's The Natural History of Selborne (1951).
Works Available
Trees by a Pond
Horses