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John, Augustus Edwin 1878-1961
Welsh painter

Born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, he studied at the Slade School in London (1896-99) with his sister Gwen John, and in Paris, and made an early reputation for himself by his etchings (1900-14). His favourite themes were gipsies, fishing folk and wild, yet naturally regal women, as in Lyric Fantasy (1913). In his portraits of women, including many of his wife Dorelia, he is concerned more with unique items of individual beauty or dignity than with portrayal of character, as shown in the beautifully caught posture of the scarlet-gowned cellist Madame Suggia (1923). However, he could portray character as shown in the studies of George Bernard Shaw (c. 1914), Thomas Hardy (1923) and Dylan Thomas.

Bibliography: Michael Holroyd, Augustus John: The New Biography (1996) and Augustus John: A Biography (1974-75)