Sutherland, Graham (1903-1980), was one of the best-known British painters of the 1900’s. He gained fame primarily for his atmospheric and distinctive landscapes and detailed views of nature, such as roots, twisted trees, and fragments of thorn bushes. His landscape art was partly inspired by his visits to Pembrokeshire. Sutherland also gained acclaim as a portrait painter. His subjects for portraits included the British publisher Lord Beaverbrook, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the British author W. Somerset Maugham. From about 1955 through 1961, Sutherland designed the tapestry Christ in Majesty, which hangs in the new Coventry Cathedral.
Graham Vivian Sutherland was born on Aug. 24, 1903, in London. He studied at Goldsmith’s College of Art in London from 1921 to 1926. Until 1930, he worked as an etcher and engraver. His graphic art emphasized small, lyrical scenes of rural England. Sutherland painted little before 1935. From 1940 to 1945, Sutherland was an official war artist. His paintings vividly captured the desolation created by bombing during World War II. Sutherland died on Feb. 17, 1980.
