A review of “John Craxton: A Life of Gifts” by Ian Collins (2021, Yale University Press; 384 pages)
- “A Charmed Life”
- Cretan Goats
- Heroic Hedonism
- Elsewhere
“A Charmed Life”
John Craxton lived a charmed life. He was evidently charming himself, and floating amongst a network of rich and Bohemian friends. He was never short of indulgent patrons, and I think the title of this brilliant biography is deliberately ambiguous: he certainly had many gifts – and was a generous man – but he also received a lot of hep and there always seemed to be affluent friends and customers ready to pay the bill.
One could conclude from the facts of his life that he sponged his way through life, dodging any responsibilities in wartime and basically doing whatever he pleased, which mostly involved painting in the Greek islands and picking up sailors. But this is a generous and affectionate biography which interprets the facts of his career trajectory as the striving of an artist to live the life of an Artist, a free spirit, one committed to throwing off the shackles of convention.
And Craxton lived a charmed life in that he managed to live an unrestrained life of a promiscuous gay man, in times when it entailed the risk of society scandal and legal jeopardy. His circle of friends was extraordinary – he was loved by many and was a loyal and generous friend. But the book latterly tells the story of how this charmed life hit the rocks of the 1980s and the AIDS epidemic.
Cretan Goats
The themes and development of Craxton’s art over a long career are excellently illustrated in Collins’ book. While he mixed with artistic and privileged elites, he preferred an unencumbered life, and was interested in rural and “ordinary” folk. On the Greek islands he found his tribe. The sailors and fishermen and shepherds and dancing men who filled his canvases were bathed in the bright Greek light.
As well as these figures and occasional portraits, he captured the significant places where he and his friends lived. In time, the goats and craggy places of the islands, especially the ravines, became recurring motifs. He rejected conformity to any artistic “movement”, although critics tried to pigeon-hole him, but instead drew eclectically from cubism and other 20th century abstractions to enhance his own style(s).
And he was versatile, not only painting and drawing in several media, but producing book covers for his friends, including his buddy Patrick Lee Fermor, and theatre designs for Sir Frederick Ashton and others. His involvement with the ballet in London led to a fruitful artistic collaboration with ballerina Margot Fonteyn, who became a close friend. She too joined the social life in the Greek sunshine.
Heroic Hedonism
John Craxton was born into a liberal-minded upper-middle class family of high achievers, and the early stories of the wild escapades by him and his brothers were entertainingly horrifying. He was indulged by his mother who encouraged his art, and put no expectations on her children except that what ever they chose to do, they should do it brilliantly! John was also a dedicated hedonist, who could live and work in rough conditions, yet prioritise fine wine and gourmet food.
There are many reproductions of his paintings and set designs and theatre costumes etc., for he was a prolific creative talent, and the book is very high quality in the softback edition by Yale University Press. The print contrast is superb (even if the size of the type is a little small) and even the layout, with plenty of illustrations, is a joy.
Ian Collins writes like a dream: he hits the right tone of absurd humour from time to time, when the events of Craxton’s life beggared belief. He writes with close knowledge of the man, for late in Craxton’s life Collins became his secretary and collaborator. Despite initially rejecting the notion of any biography, Craxton finally relented and this book is the fruit of working together. His initial reluctance probably reflects his wish that his art should speak for itself: he did not want himself to be the story. But he also relished the chance to set the record straight on some things that critics and other artists had written, including stories told by his long-time frenemy Lucian Freud.
But John Craxton’s life is a interesting in itself. This fascinating book proves that he was the story all along.
Elsewhere
- Daring Daubers – OffTheShelf Several other fine books about the Bohemian British artists of the early/mid 20th century
- Frances Spalding, British Art Since 1900 (Thames and Hudson, 1986) 252 pages.
- Pallant House Gallery | Home – Pallant House in Chichester hosted a superb exhibition: John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey (October 2023 – April 2024), which presented the development of his work in mostly chronological order. This is how I first became aware of his art. There is a wider range of high quality images in Collins’ book.
- A selection of John Craxton’s work may be found on the Art UK website.