A man of independent means, he lived entirely for the activity
of painting, and paid little regard to its commercial potential.
Living in West London, he chose as his subject matter his
family and friends, and the many young working class men he
came across in his daily life. Some were local workman like
Ray the Butcher and John the Postman; others were young friends
who rented rooms in his large house.
Yet others were the young black men of the Windrush generation
who were beginning to settle in London in the 1950s. Peter
Samuelson’s paintings are characterised by a fine technique,
tenderness and reticence of expression. He delicately captures
the quiet restraint of the period immediately before the 1960’s
explosion in artistic and social attitudes.
His work forms a bridge between the artistic generations
of Duncan Grant and David Hockney. His long wait for recognition
is mainly due to his own reluctance to place his work with
galleries for public display. His work has now been photographed
and catalogued by the Bridgman Art Library as the work of
a significant artist of the period. Works by Peter Samuelson
are in the collections of the late Sir Alan Bates, and Anne
Robinson, the writer and broadcaster, among many others.
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