Holyland 1961

John Bratby made this painting, ‘Holyland’, in August 1961, with what looks like oil on canvas, creating a scene bursting with color and texture. It’s like he dove headfirst into the act of painting, each brushstroke a bold declaration. Looking at this piece, you can almost feel the thickness of the paint, the way it sits on the canvas, capturing the roughness of the melon's skin and the jagged edges of the pineapple. The colors are intense, almost vibrating against each other, mirroring the energy of a bustling marketplace. Take that cut pumpkin, for instance – the way Bratby layers oranges and whites, it's not just a pumpkin, it’s a tiny universe, each seed a star. Bratby reminds me of another painter, Joan Brown, who also had a fearless approach to color and form. Both artists show us that painting is about more than just representation; it's about feeling, about translating the world into something intensely personal and alive.