John Myatt John Myatt’s spring releases are a masterclass in fine art technique. Years in the making, these limited editions pay tribute to works by Monet and Chagall, and hold particular significance for John. The two Monet-inspired works, while inextricably linked by their subject matter, proved entirely different in their execution. John initially began working on ‘Sunrise On The Seine’ in 2003, returning to it intermittently to add elements and play with the colour composition, until finally the image on the canvas matched the idea in his mind’s eye. Relaying that Monet was known to do likewise, John commented: “I thought it was quite nice that I was working in the same way that he would.” In contrast, John says that ‘Mist On The Seine’ was “one of those miraculous paintings” that came together effortlessly, all the elements fell into place and calls it “one of the most remarkable works I’ve ever done.” In fact, John told us that he actually
reached a point where he carried on working on the painting only to recognise that it needed nothing else, saying: “When I felt the painting slipping away from me I stopped, pulled back, repaired what I’d done and left it.” The completion of these works proved pivotal for John, who said: “I don’t think I’ll do any more in the style of Monet along the Seine – I’ve done that now.” ‘The Mystical Wedding’ began to form as an idea for John after viewing a drawing by Chagall entitled ‘The Vision’, which shows an artist sitting at an easel with an angel overhead. Taking his lead from Chagall’s interest in weddings in subject matter, and introducing other elements such as the joker and the violinist - also taken from Chagall paintings - John recalls the moment that his painting was so very nearly there, and yet in his eyes not quite finished.
pigment into the reds, inspired this time by David Hockney’s technique of doing likewise, and found that giving the tone “the little bit of punch, the little bit of bite that it needed, to be a powerful image” provided the finish he needed to regard the painting as complete. His final painting was one from which he was loathe to part, telling us: “I’d had the finished piece in my home for quite some time, hanging in the sitting room, and I was reluctant to let it go because I’d lived with it for so long. It begins to feel like yours. But on the other hand, it lets the painting have a life of its own. Instead of just residing in my sitting room, it’s anywhere it needs to be. And that’s just a brilliant thing.” Listening to John speak about his inspirations, drawing upon his vast retinue of art history, is always a pleasure. Watch our full interview with him here.
His solution was to add a very small amount of fluorescent
The Mystical Wedding Hand-Embellished Stretched Canvas | Edition of 95 Image size 76cm x 91cm | Framed Size 96.5cm x 112cm £2,500 Framed
32 FINE ART COLLECTOR SPRING/SUMMER 2021
FINE ART COLLECTOR SPRING/SUMMER 2021 33
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