 |
Peter Howson.
Howson was offered the chance to travel to Bosnia as the official British war artist. He arrived in Bosnia amidst a throng of publicity and the inevitable culture shock was impossible to prepare for. The war-torn streets of Sarajevo, Mostar, Srebrenica and others were places which bred numerous images now permanently tattooed upon Howson’s already fragile mind. Unfortunately his health suffered and he was admitted to hospital as he began to suffer from fits and sleep exhaustion. Upon his return home he was greeted by his then wife, Teri, and their young daughter, Lucie. Teri, now Howson’s ex-wife, has since commented on how fragile Peter’s state of mind was at that time. Howson only lasted three weeks, a failure by his reasoning, no matter how out with his own control the situation was. Howson’s first piece of work since his return took three months to come to fruition. Despite Howson’s relative success in rediscovering his form, he still felt that he wasn’t giving what the commission fully deserved. He has admitted that one of the hardest aspects of this was telling his family. Having someone to lead made Peter stronger and more capable, using his previous experiences as a guide. He enjoyed the company of McColl, a character he has described as being very funny and full of life. He then toured the Balkan state without a sketch pad; “you can’t sketch someone who is utterly terrified”. At one stage their art supplies were stolen, but this just spurred Peter’s work onto a higher plane, he used mixed media to show the true emotion and this was perhaps one of his most positive and productive times.
Latterly when Peter was asked to consider tackling a painting on the theme of Saint Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, his response was to embark on a personal journey of discovery, which has combined literary research with a trip to Israel to see the environment that the disciple would have lived in. The result was a stunning body of work in a variety of media. With the ongoing debate about how St Andrew’s day should be celebrated, this was a timely and powerful response by one of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists. Over the last 10 years Peter Howson has become a household name – a rare feat for a living artist in the 21st century – and his portraits of Madonna and Henrik Larsson have been widely acclaimed.Since 1997, Howson’s success has escalated exponentially as the commissions continue to roll in. Throughout this period, Peter’s spiritual journey has been deep and long and is chronicled in many of his canvasses. Latterly when Peter was asked to consider the theme of Saint Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, his response was to embark on a personal journey of discovery, which has combined literary research with a trip to Israel to see the environment that the disciple would have lived in. The result was a stunning body of work in a variety of media. With the ongoing debate about how St Andrew’s day should be celebrated, this was a timely and powerful response by one of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists. Last year Howson’s Three Faces of Eve sold for £305,000 – a record for the artist. Sotheby's described the work as bearing the style and format of an old master painting, which achieved an additional sense of gravity due to his aggressive painting style. A spokeswoman said: "Howson combines elements of Francisco Goya, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Otto Dix and Stanley Spencer in an image which is powerful in the extreme."
Recently the commission to paint his biggest and most ambitious-ever work
for the Catholic Church in Glasgow marks a confirmation of Howson’s status
as Scotland’s most celebrated living painter. |
Peter Howson was born in London in 1958 and spent much of his
childhood in the bustling community of Isleworth. The Howson family settled in Prestwick which was, at that time, nurturing a booming economy thanks in large part to the onset of commercial air
travel. The gift was a set of paints, a pivotal part of Howson’s shaping and future successes. Perhaps also the lingering underbelly of violence and torment evident in much of Van Gogh’s work influenced Howson in a similar
manner. In general, secondary school was a less-than-pleasing experience for Howson.
Peter entered his first year at Glasgow School of Art in 1975, aged 17.
Unfortunately Peter failed his first end-of-year exams and although returning the following year, he became increasingly restless. Subsequently, a vitally important part of Howson’s life was about to begin. The almost grotesque form of overly-developed bodies was to become the focus of much of Howson’s most lauded work. Howson cut short that particular period of his life to move back to Glasgow and at this juncture, things really began to take shape for Peter Howson, the artist.
Peter graduated in 1981 and had married in 1983, although this was fated
to end within a year. With his work beginning to sell and gather
increasing notice. However Peter suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of being trapped within the confines of his own life.
Peter was suffering; as an artist, a father, and a husband. He
desperately yearned to feel something new; something that he could react to and be provoked by.
In 1995, two years after his last Bosnia excursion,
he was contacted by John Cox, the director of Scottish Opera. The production was a huge success thanks in large part to Howson’s darkly unique set design. At the outset,
Peter was shocked by the horrific appearance of this frail man. Peter
thereafter moved to a new studio in the London borough of Hackney later that same year. The first four pieces were a radical departure in style for
Peter as he introduced a much more vivid palette to his work. He was, however, pleased by the overall response he had received, most notably from the young art enthusiasts and wannabes in the 14-16 year-old age bracket.
He had stated his loathing for the art establishment around this time, the very one which failed to fully support him. It could be said that Howson found another new passion at this point in his life, God.
Peter had embarked on a notably successful period of his career. Since 1997, Howson’s success has escalated exponentially as the commissions continue to roll in, in particular, ex
citement grew within the art world and the show business world as Howson unveiled his painting of Madonna.