Vine Pruner

John Craxton 1922 - 2009

Summary

A stylised painting of a man bending down to prune grape vines with a sharp knife. He is dressed in blue overalls, wears a grey cap and has bare feet. It is painted with sharp angles and geometric shapes, with heavy outlines. The earth is brown and the sky is warm oranges and yellows. Between 1952 and 1965 Craxton was working in London and travelling in Italy, Greece, Holland, France, Scilly Islands, Crete, Russia, Spain and Portugal. According to the accession card, this work was painted in Greece. Craxton wrote of Greece "In Greece I found human identities, people within their own environment. This new world fitted me artistically, and suited me socially and financially". He subsequently based himself in Crete for much of his long career.