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British Artist John Minton Show at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

THE painter John Minton’s lively illustrations were very familiar to British people during the gloomy post-war years of the 1940s and ‘50s. His imitable style, which was instantly recognisable, appeared on film posters, textiles and book covers and captured the spirit of the times. Minton was a leading illustrator and a highly influential tutor at the Royal College of Art who worked in the Neo-Romantic tradition. He was also a prolific figurative painter and muralist and it this aspect of his work that the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester celebrates in a new exhibition. On display are wartime landscapes and paintings that explore current events of the time and book illustrations, posters and lithographs. Other work includes portraits of male students, friends and his partner, Raymond Ray.

John Minton, painting, Pallant House GalleryJohn Minton, Jamaican Village, 1951, oil on canvas, 152.4 x 362 cm, private collection.
Photograph: Courtesy of Christie’s Images Limited/Bridgeman Images and the Royal College of Art

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Minton registered as a conscientious objector but later served with the Royal Pioneer Corps. During this time he collaborated with the artist, Michael Ayrton in designing sets and costumes for John Gielgud’s production of Macbeth. Travelling to Europe and the Caribbean after the war, he became fascinated by the vibrancy of Jamaica where he identified “a disquiet that is potent and nameless”.

His impressions of life there manifest in his arresting twilight scene entitled Jamaican Village, a striking mural in deep green, fuchsia and acid hues that simmer with racial and political tension. Minton refused to conform to abstraction and preferred to paint figuratively. His paintings also reflect his conflict of emotions as a gay artist as he produced work at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain.

T202 IM 77John Minton, Landscape Near Kingston, Jamaica, 1950, Ink and watercolour on paper, Pallant House Gallery (Hussey Bequest, Chichester District Council). Photograph: Courtesy of Royal College of Art

In Corsica, Minton produced illustrations for Elizabeth David’s iconic book on Mediterranean food. While her recipes of garlic, wine and olives revitalised appetites dampened by the monotony of war-time rationing, Minton’s depiction of  sunny seas and al fresco dining hinted optimistically at a better lifestyle.

John Minton, Painting, Pallant House GalleryJohn Minton, Melon Sellers, Corsica, 1948, Oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cm, Jerwood Gallery.
Photograph: Courtesy of Royal College of Art

by Miranda Charalambous

The exhibition, John Minton: A Centenary is on until  October 1 at the Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1TJ
Telephone: +44 (0)1243 774557
Email info@pallant.org.uk

Front page image: John Minton, Bridge from Cannon Street Station, 1946, Oil on canvas, 49 x 60cm, Pembroke College, Oxford, JCR Art Collection. Photograph: Courtesy of Royal College of Art