John Nash: 'The Delighted Eye'

by Allen Freer

In sixty five years as an artist John Nash produced a body of work which has a permanent and significant place in twentieth-century British art. In addition to his oil paintings and watercolours he made over 140 wood engravings and illustrated about 50 books. His botanical drawings were among the finest of this century and he produced many comic drawings of humour and vitality.
This book concentrates on John Nash's work in oils, watercolour and pencil and ink drawings; the relatively unknown early work is particularly well represented. Many of the paintings reproduced here are in private collections and will doubtless give pleasure to those who are already admirers of John Nash's achievement and to those who are unfamiliar with his work. His delicate but determining line, his quietness of tone, his gift of ironically perceptive understatement characterise the essential Englishness of his work which so notably bears witness to a man richly endowed with 'more than usual sensibility'.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting introduction to the art of John Nash ... though influenced and encouraged by his older brother, Paul (who trained at the Slade), John was largely self-taught ... his landscapes and plant studies are lyrical, almost tender ... well-illustrated, several illustrations in color, leaving the reader hungry for more ...