Michael Andrews

Michael Andrews reimagined traditional genres such as group portrayal and landscape, introducing a unique sensibility in the post-war era. 

Biography of Michael Andrews

Michael Andrews, born in 1928 in Norwich, England, served in the National service from 1947 to 1949, with nineteen months stationed in Egypt. Upon his return, he attended the Slade School of Fine Art from 1949 to 1953, studying under William Coldstream, Lucian Freud, William Townsend, and Lawrence Gowing.

In 1953, Andrews spent six months in Italy after being awarded a Rome Scholarship in Painting. Five years later, he commenced teaching at the Slade and Chelsea School of Art. During this time, Andrews held a fellowship at the Digswell Arts Trust and shared a studio with Patrick Swift.

Throughout the late 1950s, Andrews's career ascended, culminating in the acquisition of his painting "A Man Who Suddenly Fell Over" by the Tate Gallery in 1959. During the 1960s, he gained renown for his paintings depicting parties, while in later series, he explored views from the air. Towards the end of his life, Andrews primarily focused on landscapes from Scotland and London. In 1981, he relocated to the village of Saxlingham Nethergate in his native county of Norfolk.

Over the years, Michael Andrews exhibited his works extensively in both solo and group exhibitions, including significant shows organized by the Arts Council in 1981 and Tate Britain in 2001. He was actively involved with various art groups, notably the renowned Norwich Twenty Group. 

Unfortunately, in 1994, at the peak of his fame, the artist underwent cancer surgery and passed away shortly after. He was laid to rest in Glenartney, Perthshire, United Kingdom. 

Michael Andrews's Art Style

Michael Andrews developed his unique style by melding figuration with a rejection of abstraction, creating compositions that contributed to an overall surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. His brushwork was dense, rich, and thick, akin to that of his friends and contemporaries such as Francis Bacon or Lucian Freud. Whether portraying decadent parties or lavish landscapes, his works were imbued with richly elusive literary associations, resulting in strong and precise narrative structures. 

In the early Seventies, Andrews shifted his approach to materials, influenced by his interest in Zen Buddhism. This fascination led to an obsession with water, beginning with aquariums and evolving to flowing water in the 90s.