John Aldridge RA
Mill House

Watercolour and pencil
19 x 33 cm
Provenance: The artist’s studio and estate

A British oil painter, designer of wallpapers and textiles, book illustrator, art teacher and enthusiastic plantsman, John Aldridge was born in Woolwich, England, and grew up in a comparatively wealthy military family. After studying Greats at the University of Oxford, Aldridge graduated in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, settling in London and teaching himself to paint. Invited by Ben Nicholson, Aldridge joined artists such as Hepworth, Moore and Piper in the ‘Seven and Five Society’ with whom he held his first mixed exhibition in 1931. Despite being based in London during this time, Aldridge made excursions to Paris, Germany, Italy, Tenerife and Mallorca. As a dear friend of the poet Robert Graves, the two spent endless holidays together in Mallorca near Deià, Graves having a house there which can be visited to this day. Exhibitions held with the ‘Seven and Five Society’ at Leicester Galleries in this period lead to numerous other exhibitions of his work, both with the ‘Seven and Five Society’ and otherwise. Aldridge was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1954, then a full member (RA) in 1963. Despite this, during his later years Aldridge’s art went out of fashion, his somewhat nostalgic works out of style with the arrival of the swinging 60s and 70s that treated old England as an abomination that needed to be forgotten. Since then, Aldridge’s art has been brought back into the eyes of the fine arts industry and recognised as it deserves.

In this serene watercolour, John Aldridge depicts a quiet stretch of river bordered by trees, with a mill house nestled in the background. Loose, gestural brushwork and soft washes of green, blue, and brown evoke a sense of calm and natural harmony. The reflection of trees in the water creates a rhythmic, almost abstract pattern, while faint pencil lines reveal the underlying structure of the composition. Combining observational detail with a poetic sensibility, the work reflects Aldridge’s deep affinity for the English landscape.

Condition: Generally very good.

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