JOHN CRAXTON, R.A. (1922-2009)

After the Second World War, and with a desire to travel more than ever, Craxton visited Greece. From late 1946 to early 1947, he and Lucian Freud explored the country’s islands together, later settling in Crete, where the move provided an opportunity to break away from the British Neo-Romantic art scene that Craxton opposed. Inspired by Greek mythology, Byzantine mosaics and the wilderness and colours of the Mediterranean landscape, the inclusion of goats became a principal motif in his painting, adding an energy and tension to his semi-abstracted and Cubist scenes. Craxton commented, ‘Goats are essential domestic animals in the Mediterranean and yet they destroy the landscape, nibbling away at the trees and devouring every green shoot'. The present work is closely related to Craxton’s large scale painting Five Goats of the same period.

We are very grateful to Ian Collins and Richard Riley for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.