John Aldridge (artist)

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Aldridge in June 1970.

John Arthur Malcolm Aldridge

Royal Academician
(RA) in 1963.

Early years

Born in

Oxford University
and graduated in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After finishing university, Aldridge settled in London, taught himself to paint and held his first mixed exhibition in 1931.

Beginning of career as artist

Aldridge's pen and ink drawing of San Severo and a pencil drawing of the same scene, circa 1944 or 1945. The pencil drawing is on the back of an aerial reconnaissance photograph.

Aldridge exhibited with the 'Seven and Five Society' at the

plein air' painter, many works were produced in his studio at his home; his subjects were the Essex
countryside, scenes from his many visits to Italy and to Mallorca, and his much-loved garden at Place House.

Great Bardfield

Starting in 1949, Aldridge taught at the

London Observer reporter that “people seem to prefer this domestic informality to galleries”. At these summer exhibitions, Aldridge exhibited his oils while Lucie exhibited her hand-knitted rugs. Although Aldridge's work was well-received, it seemed the most conservative of the Great Bardfield Artists
as it possibly reflected the art scene of the 1920s and 1930s in Britain.

The early 1960s saw the Bardfield art community fragment but Aldridge would remain in Place House until his death. After his 1970 divorce, Aldridge married Gretl Cameron, the widow of his poet friend Norman Cameron. In 1980, on Aldridge's 75th birthday, London's New Grafton Gallery held a retrospective on his work. He died in 1983, his wife Gretl having pre-deceased him a few months earlier.

Legacy

  • Aldridge's art work is with the
    Royal Academy
    .
  • The major holding of Aldridge's work is in the North West Essex Collection of the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden, Essex. In 1999, the Fry Art Gallery presented a show of his oils and in 2000 an exhibition of his drawings and prints. An exhibition of his landscape oils and other works from across his career was held at the Fry from 7 September to 27 October 2013.

Some of his works are included in the Fry gallery's exhition of Great Bardfield artists, held from 2 April to 29 October 2023

References

  1. ^ "Domain name registration - racollection.org.uk". www.racollection.org.uk.

Sources

  • John Aldridge, ‘John Aldridge’, Great Bardfield Artists, W. S. Cowell Ltd, c.1957
  • Martin Salisbury (Ed), Artists of the Fry: Art and Design in the North West Essex Collection, Ruskin Press, Cambridge, 2003.
  • Ian Tregarthen Jenkin, ‘John Aldridge RA’, Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, 1999
  • Nevile Wallis, 'Art in a Village’, Observer, 17 July 1955
  • Peter Donovan, 'John Aldridge RA', Catalogue of exhibition 7 September to 27 October 2013 at the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, Essex
  • Andrew Lambirth, 'Fresh airing for artist who loved the outdoors', Sunday Telegraph 28 September 2013

External links

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