Angry old painter

February 18th, 2011, 03:39 PM

Please help! I'm looking for the name of a painter I saw in a documentary on a British TV channel late at night several years ago, maybe as long as 15 years ago. It may have been Horizon, or a similar show.

He was an old man, most likely in his 80s, but maybe older. If I remember correctly, he lived in a large old house and a middle-aged woman cared for him but she was struggling to cope. The house was filled with canvases, mostly large, semi-abstract in nature.

He was fierce, still railing at the injustices of the world, despite his advanced years. I remember one painting in particular of a large, round figure with pointed teeth, almost totally surrounding a smaller, sheepish figure with it's jaws. Gesturing to the smaller character, he said something along the lines of 'this is all the innocence in the world and it's being crushed by the powers that be', upon which he pointed to the larger figure. I think it was a deep red background. It reminded me of Birth by Jackson Pollock and was equally rough with it's brushstrokes. He was wonderful, an inspiration, but relatively unknown, his talent overlooked for most of his life. Or so I remember, but perhaps I've romanticized it somewhat!

Does anybody have any idea who he was?

John · February 18th, 2011, 04:43 PM

It wasn't Francis Bacon, was it?

February 20th, 2011, 06:19 AM

No, I'd have known his work. He was very obscure, a virtual unknown and so cruelly overlooked. His work was visually simpler and more abstract than Bacon.
Thanks, though....

February 18th, 2011, 03:39 PM	#1
Verminlion Posts: n/a	Angry old painter Please help! I'm looking for the name of a painter I saw in a documentary on a British TV channel late at night several years ago, maybe as long as 15 years ago. It may have been Horizon, or a similar show. He was an old man, most likely in his 80s, but maybe older. If I remember correctly, he lived in a large old house and a middle-aged woman cared for him but she was struggling to cope. The house was filled with canvases, mostly large, semi-abstract in nature. He was fierce, still railing at the injustices of the world, despite his advanced years. I remember one painting in particular of a large, round figure with pointed teeth, almost totally surrounding a smaller, sheepish figure with it's jaws. Gesturing to the smaller character, he said something along the lines of 'this is all the innocence in the world and it's being crushed by the powers that be', upon which he pointed to the larger figure. I think it was a deep red background. It reminded me of Birth by Jackson Pollock and was equally rough with it's brushstrokes. He was wonderful, an inspiration, but relatively unknown, his talent overlooked for most of his life. Or so I remember, but perhaps I've romanticized it somewhat! Does anybody have any idea who he was?

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February 18th, 2011, 04:43 PM	#2
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,404	It wasn't Francis Bacon, was it?

February 20th, 2011, 06:19 AM	#3
Verminlion Posts: n/a	No, I'd have known his work. He was very obscure, a virtual unknown and so cruelly overlooked. His work was visually simpler and more abstract than Bacon. Thanks, though....