The Artist at Work: On the Working Methods of William Coldstream and Michael Andrews

This is the first full-scale study to focus on the working methods of artists by direct observation – in this case two leading members of the School of London, William Coldstream and Michael Andrews. This comparative analysis contains hitherto unpublished material by the artists and includes the author’s copious notes and his own sketches and photographs of the artists at work painting portraits of him. William Coldstream (1908–1987) was one of the most influential forces in British art in the twentieth century, both in his painting and in his teaching, firstly at the Euston Road School and subsequently in his Headship at Camberwell and the Slade School of Art. Michael Andrews (1928–1995) was his outstanding pupil and quickly established a major reputation in his own right. His work largely took the form of a theme with variations, and the Thames series, sadly unfinished, promised to be his crowning work. Colin St John Wilson bases his study on personal friendship and the experience of an extraordinary number of sittings, 96 with Coldstream and 80 with Andrews, which were the settings for extended discussion with both artists. This fascinating study highlights the very different working methods of the two artists, and yet shows their concern to represent through paint alone the reality of human presence.