Augustus John
A flamboyant Welsh portraitist and bohemian force whose charismatic presence and vibrant work defined a pre-war era of British art.
1878–1961 (age 83)·Welsh painter·Birthday: January 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Augustus John arrived on the British art scene with the force of a storm, a magnetic and unconventional figure whose talent was matched by his rebellious spirit. Trained at the Slade School, his early drawings displayed a breathtaking, fluid precision. He became the archetypal bohemian, with his gypsy-style dress and entourage, painting society figures, poets, and fellow artists with a vigorous, expressive style that captured the psychological intensity of his sitters. For a period before the First World War, he was hailed as the country's foremost artist, a successor to Sargent. While his later output was more variable, his portraits—from Thomas Hardy to Dylan Thomas—remain powerful documents of an age. He lived a large, tumultuous life, forever linked to his more introverted but equally gifted sister, the painter Gwen John.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Augustus was born in 1878, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Augustus Was Born
The biggest hits of 1878
Augustus's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1878Born
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Started school
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Became a teenager
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Could vote
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1899Turned 21
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 30
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1918Turned 40
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 50
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 60
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 70
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 80
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Died at 83
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
Key Achievements
- Elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1928.
- Served as an official war artist for Canada during World War II.
- Completed renowned portraits of key cultural figures like T.E. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, and Tallulah Bankhead.
- Was appointed a Trustee of the Tate Gallery and the National Gallery.
Did You Know?
He was the subject of a famous quip by Winston Churchill: "When I die, I hope to go to Heaven, and I want to spend the first million years painting, so I hope there will be turpentine and an easel, and I hope Augustus John will be there to give me advice."
His sister, Gwen John, was also a highly respected painter, though she lived a much more reclusive life.
John was known for his distinctive appearance, often wearing earrings and favoring a gypsy-like style of dress.
He had a lifelong fascination with Romani culture and traveled with a caravan for a time.
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
