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Although he was born in the Peak District in 1933 and trained at the Royal College in London, Ben Hartley lived a solitary existence for most of his life here in the South-west. Having graduated from the Royal College with first-class honours, he chose the Devonshire countryside as his home, and made little effort to seek fame or fortune. Here, apart from a few hours teaching each week, he spent his time drawing the rural scenes around him. "He was a colourist, an abstract painter, and a superb draughtsman. His paintings describe the human condition with humour and compassion. His life's work comprises more than a thousand paintings and three hundred sketchbooks filled with drawings and words. His paintings show his appreciation and understanding of nature; with a countryman's eye he recreates birds, butterflies, insects, dogs cats, farm animals and the people who live with them and have to grapple with life's problems." Tony Birks-Hay , Ben Hartley - L'enfance retrouvée à volonté, August 1998
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Available Paintings: click on thumbnails for enlarged images |
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