John Piper CH, British 1903-1992 - Portland, c.1950; pen, ink and watercolour, signed lower right 'John Piper', 35 x 50.8 cm (ARR) Note: the authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Hugh Fowler-Wright John Piper was a hugely significant and...

John Piper CH, British 1903-1992 - Portland, c.1950; pen, ink and watercolour, signed lower right 'John Piper', 35 x 50.8 cm (ARR) Note: the authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Hugh Fowler-Wright John Piper was a hugely significant and influential British artist, known for his romantic depictions of ruined landscapes and buildings. This work is a moving and enigmatic evocation of the Island of Portland off the Dorset coast, that had been a major focus for the artist’s work since 1948. Drawn to the rubble strewn landscape, Piper creates an image that is simultaneously modern and ancient. The artist described it as ‘very important to me…with great blocks of stone lying about on the low quarry shore in magnificent disarray.’ These Portland works were exhibited in New York in the 1950s. Piper was a member of the avant-garde group the Seven and Five Society alongside Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore and Ivon Hitchens, and was designated an Official War Artist during the Second World War. His depictions of the Blitz are amongst the most famous and remembered works of the period.