Cineraria 1948

Augustus John painted this still life of a Cineraria, an annual plant in the daisy family, using oil on canvas. He was a prominent Welsh artist who worked in Britain in the first half of the twentieth century. John was known for his Bohemian lifestyle. He lived as an artistic outsider, and his paintings often depict marginalized subjects such as Romani people. So, how does this painting of a common potted plant fit into his larger body of work? We might think about the rise of the middle class in England at this time, and how the culture of domesticity and home decoration may have impacted John. Was he perhaps critical of the bourgeoisie and their consumer habits? Or was he softening as he got older? To more fully understand the painting, further art historical research would be needed. Auction records, exhibition reviews, and the artist's biography would all shed light on the cultural and economic context of its production.