A Lesson in Art and Life: The Colourful World of Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines

Good

A very thorough, readable and engaging joint biography of a remarkable pair of men who seem to have changed the lives of everyone they met

If you want to know where Cedric Morris was in 1943 and what he had for breakfast, this is the book for you. If you want “a lesson in art and life” there’s nothing here for you. The book is a very detailed list of facts - names, places, events, artworks etc but there is very little of the men here - their opinions, methods, beliefs, values, philosophies etc. certainly no lesson in art or life.

Detailed, fascinating account

Have only got as far as page 23 to find that the author thinks Margaret Morris was married to JDFergusson. Margaret Morris never married so couldn’t have had extra marital affairs. John Galsworthy was married and Margaret Morris had a relationship with him before she met Fergusson.

For the first time ever (and we've ordered dozens of books), we were hugely disappointed to find that boththe book jacket and the inside front hard cover had been damaged and pierced in at least 2 places.As such it cannot be given as a gift or displayed.The packaging was perfectly intact, so this must have been damaged before it went out for delivery?

Very interesting subject and well written.

This is an excellent biography about two artists of great charm who formed a life-long creative partnership. The two artists first met at a party in 1918 and despite Arthur Lett-Haines being already married, he and Cedric Morris were immediately attracted to each other. Individually, both artists were of quite different but complementary personalities and both had distinct painting styles, Morris favouring a figurative if Post-Impressionist approach, and Lett Haines a style that embraced Surrealism.The artists were well travelled and experienced the avant-garde of Paris and other European destinations, and the Bohemia of Fitzrovia. They also bought a retreat, The Pound, at Higham in Suffolk, the light being excellent for painting. It was in Suffolk that Morris and Lett-Haines opened their East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in 1937 in Dedham. This unconventional school offered informal tuition for a small fee, or often, in return for helping with tasks in the kitchen or garden. Despite a somewhat ramshackle approach to running a school students became devoted to the place and often cited it as one of the most important experiences of their lives. The school literally rose from the flames, resurrected at Benton End, near Hadleigh, after the loss of the original building in a fire on 26th July 1939.This is a beautifully constructed and engaging biography by an author who is clearly in sympathy with his subjects, and it is just a pleasure to read. The author deals with the conflicting personalities of the two artists and with the additional skills of Morris as a renowned horticulturalist, particularly for his new strains of bearded irises, and the complementary abilities of Lett-Haines in running the school, and his accomplished cooking. The work of both men is now deservedly becoming more appreciated after recent exhibitions.There are two sections of excellent illustrations, but readers should be aware that this is a biography not an art book.

Great book about these wonderful artists. Wish there were more pictures though.