British artist Gwyneth Johnstone (1914-2010), described as Norfolk’s “forgotten” artist , is one of those artists who  slipped under the radar of popular culture while at the same time attracting enthusiastic followers within the private and public realm.

Born in in the Norfolk village of Coltishall in 1914, the daughter of famed painter Augustus John and niece of renowned artist Gwen John, her mother one of her father’s models, Norah Brownsword, it’s not surprising that Gwyneth had a talent for painting.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Gwyneth studied at London’s Slade School of Art from 1933-1938, establishing close friendships with the likes of Virginia Parsons and Mary Fedden. She then headed to Paris where she attended André Lhote’s Académie Montparnasse.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s, when she attended visionary artist Cecil Collins’s lessons at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, that Gwyneth found her feet, developing a unique style that has been described as innocent, happy, hallucinogenic, haunting, and energetic.

Gwyneth herself referred to her works as “romantic modern landscapes”, which seems accurate.

Gwyneth’s masterful and unique sense of colour, which comes through in her immediately identifiable palette, and the poetic treatment of her subject matter, which shows the cubist influence of her time under the tutelage of André Lhote, are key traits of her work.

In this particular work, Gwyneth’s unique style shines bright. The painterly surface, showing the process of reworking and layering that is typical of her work, the blocky buildings, and the palette of browns, greens and ochres, make this study immediately identifiable.