Obituary

John Ward CBE, RP, NEAC, RWS, and former RA was a hugely respected, successful and admired artist. John and sadly passed away on 14th June 2007 aged 89. His close artist and NEAC colleagues Ken Howard and Peter Kuhfeld remember him:

“John Ward who died on 14th June was a draughtsman, painter and illustrator of great distinction and intelligence, and a good friend. A man, that I feel all who knew him saw as generous, with an energy that not only enabled him to produce such beautiful and sensitive but also to imprint his passion for life, by example. He painted what he wanted to paint, ignoring the whims of fashion and passing trends.

‘Self Portrait’ Oil on canvas 1983

I would feel exhilarated on going to his studio, seeing the works in progress – the joy in the simplest flower; the nuance of tone on a leaf, the beauty in the lines around a mouth. Also, there was a distinct ‘push’, a pursuance of a better understanding of ‘seeing’, of composition and colour, still very much to the fore ay 89 years of age. The endless re-appraisal of particular subject matter as in the architectural drawings in watercolour, ink, conte and pencil of Italy. The work he produced in the last few years of Piazza Novora in Rome with intricacies of scaffolding in the dome of Sant Agnese were unavailable for these poetry and freshness – masterful.

Perhaps his greatest passion was for Venice, and again in recent works, that show only in the last few months amazed and delighted with their rich observation and the opportunities that new vantage points presented. So, here we have a life, seen through his paintings done for the painters pleasure and our pleasure – an enduring legacy and a wonderful epitaph indeed.”

Peter Kuhfeld NEAC

Read the Guardian Obituary 21st June 2007

CV

John Ward RA , painter, draughtsman, illustrator and teacher, born in Hereford in 1917. He studied at the School of Art there from 1933-6 and then at the Royal College of Art from 1936-9, gaining a Drawing Prize and in 1947 a Travelling Scholarship. He served in the Army, worked for Vogue magazine and taught part-time at Wimbledon School of Art. He then consolidated his reputation as a portrait painter and book illustrator.

John was elected to the Royal Academy in 1956 and appointed CBE in 1985. His reputation has led to many prestigious commissions including several from the Royal Family.

Her Majesty the Queen, The National Portrait Gallery and RA hold his work amongst others. He has exhibited with the New English Art Club at the Mall Galleries and also with the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours at the same Gallery. John has also had several one-man exhibitions as well as sharing in group shows in and around London.