John Shelley
Fennys Lane
Oil on board, signed and dated '1968' on verso
Image Size: 35 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (90 x 69.8 cm)
Original frame
Provenance
The artist, whom exhibited at
Amos Reynolds, Surrey
Private Collection
Exhibited
Surrey, Amos Reynolds, John Shelley, cat.no.8
The dream like quality of this painting is very highly detailed. In the garden of the house a woman in a white apron works away. While down the lane we see two figures gardening. Its a very English country village in the height of summer.
Born in Margate, England, John Shelley was a painter and jazz musician. Primarily known for his dream-like, quintessential English pastoral scenes, Shelley trained at Wimbledon School of Art where he developed his almost-surrealist style. After winning a British Institution Fund award in 1957, Shelley went on to develop his practice at the Slade School of Art in 1958.
Shelley noted the heavy influence of artists such as Samuel Palmer and Stanley Spencer on his work, whose imaginative as well as mystical depictions of rural, everyday life helped shape his compositions.
In 1960 John was called up for National Service with the RAF but continued to paint due to encouragement from his wife.
His successful submission of his painting The Visitation to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1968, launched Shelley's career as a painter as he exhibited alongside artists such as Dod Procter, William Dring and Ruskin Spear. He would then go on to exhibit at the summer exhibition for many more years between 1968-1988.
Exhibitions
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1968 - 1988
Museums
Tate Galleries
Contemporary Arts Society