Comments on: Contact

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 10:56:49 +0000

Dear Brian, Many thanks for picking up on this. I can only imagine how influential Lanyon was as a teacher. What came across in a recent BBC Four programme The Art of Cornwall with James Fox (no longer on i-player sadly), is how freeing preconceptions and conditioning enables the work to keep growing as though it’s been wound up and is uncoiling powerfully. The thing is he was commercial in his lifetime too. I don’t know whether you saw it. James selected the vertiginous St Just as his greatest painting of the 20th century which made me punch the air. I would expect that 100 years from now Lanyon will be worshipped across the land.

By: Brian Smithies

Brian Smithies — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:57:33 +0000

Dear Ian,just come across your article about Peter Lanyon.excellent,to me he is the most important british artist of the twentieth century–a brilliant man who has been SERIOUSLY undervalued by britains art establihment!!
i had the priveledge to have been a student at the St
Peters Loft art school,st ives, with him,Bill Redgrave and Terry Frost during the late 1950′s. one of the happiest and important parts of my life.
he helped every one who came in contact with him ,to see with fresh eyes—to lose our conditioning, to be free of preconceptions. a brilliant teacher. his painting still do that .
best wihes
Brian