Hugh Robson

Biography

Hugh Robson - Representational Surrealist

Hugh Robson is one of the best kept secrets of British painting. But his visions were often selective; his ‘Alice in Wonderland’ representations of flowers and animals were sourced from his highly developed inner world. His interpretations reflect his own temperament forged from childhood experiences during World War II and the subsequent death of both his mother and father.Hugh Robson was born in 1929, in the Midlands into a middle-class family. From 1944 until 1951 he studied at St Martin’s School of Art and The Slade School of Fine Art and while at school, he shifted away from the past into his own representations which eventually made him a well-known and popular artist within the elite.
From school he completed the Grand Tour travelling by train through Europe and along the Mediterranean towards the emerald Adriatic and was influenced by the renaissance architecture and light, and more specifically the masterpieces which he studied in his youth. Flora Robson sent him on the trip, and he always remembered her kindness spending many weekends at her house in Brighton when she was an old lady. He left school and moved out of Flora's house near Pinewood Studios to live with his older brother who was already sharing a flat with an actor in London. Abstract paintings were appearing in the galleries and as a result he struggled to gain recognition. During these years he worked hard to create his name by painting murals, eventually building a network of clients who favoured his representational visions. This steady stream of work enabled him to paint his own works of art and to further develop his style.

Monkey Magic

He painted Peter Coats wearing a harlequin costume holding a mask; choosing the Diana monkey for the 1960’s House and Garden magazine editor who was a friend of Lois Mountbatten. Coats was from the previous generation and enjoyed the pun as the Diana monkey is known as ‘The Old World’ monkey. Coats had to admit the choice amused him and he accepted the painting.

1990’s

As his paintings grew in popularity the bountiful sources of flora and fauna produced hundreds of pictures for the Trafford. He began painting with lighter shades and by the 1990’s with four daughters to raise he updates his style this time with a modern palette and clean lines. They spend summers flying here and there to the cooler climates of Northern France, the Channel Islands, and the Isles of Scilly.

The Future

Hugh Robson’s Legacy

As one of the hidden gems of British painting, Hugh Robson often mixed various styles to create new interpretations of what he saw. The phenomena of culture brought invention into his work which is reflected in the surreal elements of his subjects and emboldened by his success he continued to reflect the ever-changing world leading him to fresh innovations in his craft.

Pieces of Interest

Seascape by Michael Fussell & A Landscape by Cecilia Montgomerry June 1849