Though born in England, John Craxton always felt most
himself in the sun-soaked islands of the Aegean Sea. After his first visit to
Greece in 1946, he would rarely return to his homeland, hopping from island to
island with other wayfaring friends. However, in 1967, he was exiled under
suspicion of looting and espionage. After an excruciatingly long absence, the
artist would make his return a decade later. Man Drinking Ouzo (early 1980s)
is Craxton picking up right where he left off. The artist’s hand, practised in depicting
the familiar characters of Greek tavernas, here traces the silhouette of a man
drinking ouzo, a Greek anise aperitif.

Unlike his more spontaneous drawings, this composition
seems to be a more meditated preparatory work for Still Life with Three
Sailors (1982-1987). With the pose already determined, the artist’s usually
bold and confident lines are slightly feathered in the details, carving a path
through the creases of the man’s sleeves. In the final painting, the figures
wear sailors’ uniforms, perhaps explaining the uncertain rendering of the
figure’s shirt collar.

Though Still Life with Three Sailors would adopt a
less naturalistic use of colour, Man Drinking Ouzo already features
Craxton’s prismatic palette. On a trip to Istanbul in 1985, Craxton filled his
pockets with various new paints and pigments, one being a striking verdigris
that would become a frequent feature of his works in the following years. The
cloud of jade green in Man Drinking Ouzo certainly indicates the
beginning of this trend, engulfing the drawing’s subject. The use of lines as
light (a Craxton signature) helps to break through the mass of blue and green,
bringing both structure and atmosphere. While deep pinks delineate shadows, highlights
of bright yellow run from the bottom of the elbow to the bridge of the nose, recalling
the warm sunshine of the picture’s Grecian setting.

Man Drinking Ouzo stands as both a study and an
independent work, displaying Craxton’s sustained engagement with the visual
atmosphere of Greece and indicating the stylistic direction of later work.

John Craxton Estate

I. Collins, John Craxton, Drawn to Light, Mesher, Istanbul, 2023, p. 233 (ill. col.)

Istanbul, Mesher, John Craxton, Drawn to Light, 5 April 2023 – 23 July 2023