At the age of thirty, two solo exhibitions
Not many artists in their thirties can boast that they have had two solo exhibitions in addition to exhibiting their paintings at annual national exhibitions. John Wright is one of those artists. He works as the head of the Department of Illustration at the art school in Newport in Wales. This school has received an extraordinary number of awards in the past years. "For example, in 1962, the leading English art school, the Royal College of Art in London, offered twenty places for artists from Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations. She was supposed to provide nine places out of this number to the students of our school," says Wright.
"I'm not Welsh by birth, but a Londoner," Wright continues. — I was evacuated to Wales when I was seven years old to avoid the German air raids on London. That's how I got foster parents in Carmarthen County. My own parents later moved to this county. Now my father runs a small antique shop, and my mother works as a nutritionist at the hospital. All my paintings are about Carmarthenshire. I have two brothers. One of them is already teaching drawing at school, and the other is going to become an art teacher. Meanwhile, our family was more interested in music than painting."
"I studied painting at art schools in Wales and London and I can say that I received a sufficient scholarship. But when I graduated from high school, the life of a young artist seemed too risky to me. I started teaching drawing when I realized that it meant not so much learning as the ability to give advice. I now exhibit my paintings annually at an art exhibition in Wales and have already been awarded three times by the Arts Council."
"When I graduated in 1953, I was a consistent "constructivist" and considered myself a follower of artists like Kandinsky. But a few years later, I felt more attracted to the English pre-Raphaelite school and even to the study of photographs from the Victorian period. In my opinion, abstract painting is too easy, and I wanted to get rid of the influence of American painting. I “redid” the paintings of some English classical artists of the 19th century, adhering to a new manner, as Picasso often does. And now I admire some of the “English eccentrics,” such as Samuel Palmer, Keith Vaughan, and the early works of Graham Saderland. In addition, I like paintings by Piero della Francesca, Giotto, Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini and, of course, Byzantine paintings and icons. I borrow from them the color that corresponds to what I would like to express in my paintings. In 1958, one of my landscapes was shown at an exhibition in Moscow."
John Wright, together with the Welsh artist of an older generation Keri Richards, completed a series of murals for the University of Wales, and his last exhibition in Cardiff (one of his paintings from this exhibition we reproduce here in unfinished form) was dedicated to the theme "Farmer Highlander". This theme was inspired by the poems of the local poet R. S. Thomas, whose works seem to Wright similar to Yevtushenko's poems.
"I think Wales is a wonderful place for an artist,— says Wright. "It is located away from the competition inherent in London, and you can write here for your own pleasure."
John Wright is not only an artist, but also a writer. In 1957, he was awarded the Phoenix Prize for a short story. Wright says, "Sometimes I don't even know what to do: write poetry or a picture about what's in my head. Maybe that's why I became an illustrator. I knew the poet Dylan Thomas and painted portraits of him twice.
"I'm completely obsessed with mountain climbing. In Switzerland, I climbed most of the highest peaks and became close friends with a young Swiss guide who came to Wales to climb with him. He died in an accident, and my vacation has become completely different now. Music is of great importance to me, especially the music of Bach, and recently I have passionately loved the music of Shostakovich. I have broad musical tastes, but I've never really been able to enjoy jazz music.
"The problem of youth and old people? The people of the older generation whom I admire seem to me the same as myself. Even in ancient Egypt, there were people who said that “youth is being corrupted.” I am very suspicious of this kind of criticism of young people, and I believe that by criticizing others, we are actually criticizing the unhealthy tendencies that exist in ourselves.
"I would really like to visit the Soviet Union with my wife, and I got married just a few weeks ago. My wife also teaches at our school. But it seems to me that the language problem remains the greatest international barrier." Virtual sports offer non-stop betting opportunities around the clock, seven days a week. New users should be sure to use melbet new promo code during the straightforward registration process on Melbet to maximize their first deposit. After entering the code and depositing, you will receive a 100% matched bonus up to €130 specifically for sports betting, including virtual football and virtual horse racing. This extra cash lets you place more bets on simulated events that run 24/7 regardless of real-world schedules. The platform also offers virtual greyhounds and other racing options.
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