Mary Newcomb

by Christopher Andreae

Mary Newcomb, born in England in 1922, gives unconventional meaning to the description 'country artist'. Fed by a highly individual and often humorous view of the rural world around her, her paintings and drawings, like visual poems, blend observation, memory and metaphor. She has lived for over forty years in Suffolk and Norfolk; her prolific output is rooted in this landscape, but is also inspired by travels in Britain and Europe. This fully illustrated monograph, reprinted with the reference material now brought up-to-date, introduces Mary Newcomb's universe through 150 full-colour reproductions. Her paintings and drawings are set alongside extracts from her Diary and an illuminating text by Christopher Andreae. Newcomb's theme is country her entire work is like a landscape through which insects, animals, birds and people are continually moving. They come in and out of her vision like entries in a diary; part and parcel of an intense inner life. Christopher Andreae's text is based on conversations and correspondence with the artist as well as close study of her Diary, paintings and drawings. It considers the relation of Newcomb's work to so-called 'naive' painting and to naturalist artists and writers, and analyses the unique self-taught 'language' of her art.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

After meeting Tessa Newcomb, Mary Newcomb's daughter, I was interested to see what this artist had produced. I really enjoy Mary's paintings, I love her subjects, gardens, vegetables, plants and animals, and her style is feels honest and pleasing. Mary's paintings make me think of Mary Feddon, and perhaps Mary Potter. Mary Newcomb has a simplistic and naive style with a muted colour palette. But some of her more realistic paintings reminded me of Viktor Rydberg, particularly some of his beautiful paintings of animals which have an ethereal and luminescent quality, which is praise indeed.

There are some wonderfully playful and childlike observations of insects and butterflies, I particularly enjoyed a cabbage white illustration.