Artwork
Biography
Born in Sheffield in 1940, John Middleton lived and breathed for his art. He withdrew from publicly exhibiting in the early 1980s yet remained in a state of constant creation, producing works of great beauty, depth and integrity.
Middleton shunned the mundane day-to-day grind of reality over 45 years ago, releasing himself from the shackles of society to devote his life to painting. Predominantly working in watercolour and gouache, creating abstract dreamscapes, and proclaiming often-profound statements on the conscious and the spiritual.
There are echoes of Matisse, Picasso and Rothko, but this is a body of work that stands alone. Expertly navigating the dividing line between the figurative and the abstract, avoiding being absolutely either, whilst still sustained by their influence. Through his love of art, Middleton journeyed in the present and in the past, seeking their values in his painting, yet never dating his work as he does not measure time.
More recently, Middleton created a series of drawings in homage to another of his heroes – Egon Schiele. This output positioned him as an un-mined diamond, a hidden treasure about to be rediscovered. Middleton’s images are as accomplished as only the work of one who has dedicated his life to painting can be.
During the 1960s and 70s the artist’s work was exhibited in London at the Mayor Gallery and Nicholas Treadwell, and his paintings are held in private collections in the UK, Europe and the US.
“I drew an envelope and its abstract contents. From that moment on I felt genetically and emotionally in touch with the cave painter; down in the dark, inaccessible recesses of the earth and the passage of art from his time to mine.”
Contact us to request the catalogue of available artworks by John Middleton
Photograph courtesy of Natasha Rae Audsley via the artist.
