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(British, b. 1975)
Biography
Drawing has always formed the basis John Simpson’s work. Frequently referencing the world of folk tale and myth, Simpson explores the relationship and behavioural patterns between human and animal forms; the result being powerful, poetic imagery that sits somewhere in between childhood imagination and adult reasoning. Stylistically, Simpson refers to artists such as Goya and Munch and his ability to delicately capture the physical and psychological nature of the creatures that feature in his work can equally disturb and enchant.
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Almost always working with a simple monochrome pallet, Simpson occasionally interjects a sharp red into a piece in order to draw attention to something, possibly suggesting violence, power or danger. Simpson’s preferred medium is Monotype, a process often recognised as the most direct and painterly form of printmaking. Working in this way, he believes, extends the possibilities of traditional drawing due to the sensitivity of a marks made by anything that applies pressure to the surface in which the print is made from, including hands if a direct approach is needed.
In recent years, Simpson has started an exploration of the natural landscape that he often excluded in his work before; showing aspects of nature that lies beyond the visible. On paper, a small forest hideaway is seen washed in the light of a late evening, and in another work, undefined pine trees emerge from the paper in a woodland that seems to have no clear frontier. The new series has received much acclaim, and in 2024, Simpson was included for a second year at the prestigious Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
John Simpson was born in Gloucestershire in 1975. He first studied at the University of Gloucestershire and then later at The Cambridge School of Art.