Ewart Johns – A Life of Art at Ottocento

2 SEPTEMBER – 20 OCTOBER 2023 

Thurs: 10.00am – 5.00pm

Fri: 10.00am – 5.00pm

Sat: 11.00am – 4.00pm

Delve into the world of Ewart Johns in our forthcoming exhibition ‘Ewart Johns – A life of Art’.

Ewart was born in Barry, Glamorgan in 1923 and was mentored by Ceri Richards whilst at Cardiff College of Art in the early 1940s.

His career as an artist dovetailed his career as an academic (he was notably appointed the first Head of department for the Visual Arts at Lancaster University in 1972 among other posts). It spanned over 6 decades, exhibiting fluid developments in style and direction. He was influenced by such giants as Picasso, Matisse, Moore, Sutherland and above all by his former life drawing tutor Ceri Richards.

“I have been persistently attracted to the subject of the human figure in integral relationships to its surroundings, treating that figure to a greater or lesser degree as part of a general pattern of forms.” Ewart Johns

His early works from the 40s and 50s merge the human figure with strong colour grounds, the figure radiating from the composition. Later we see that his attention is focused on the treatment of the flesh as the personality of the sitters become more visible. By the 70s and 80s his work reveals a sensual approach to the human form, often painted from varying angles and often with motor cars. There is a pop art slant to many of the 70s works. By the late 80s and into the 90s his work frees up to show strong influences from Picasso and Klimt, reflecting his interest in theatre and myth. These works are far looser and more abstracted than his middle period but it could be argued that they are some of his most visually appealing pictures.

Even when his eyesight was failing (to ultimately complete blindness), his relentless dedication allowed him to produce sculptural works in wood and clay and he even managed to produce white line drawings on black grounds.

In recognition of a lifetime dedicated to not only fine art but also higher education, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Plymouth in 2001 (Promoted by Dartington College of Art) and notably was appointed the first Head of department for the Visual Arts at Lancaster University in 1972.

Ewart had many exhibitions of his work throughout his lifetime and a retrospective of his work was shown at the Cube Gallery, Plymouth in 2007 .