Guess who? Actually this was Augustus John’s description of Arthur Knighton-Hammond. No: I had never heard off him before I came across the catalogue of a current exhibition of his work in London.* In the event I have found his work to be very impressive, with a combination of spontaneity and freshness with a sense of atmosphere. Knighton-Hammond (1875-1970) was noteworthy for his landscapes (usually with figures) but he was evidently a very competent portrait artist. I do find it interesting that the esteem in which an artist is held can be so variable. He was almost exactly a contemporary of Laura Knight, with whose work it bears comparison in a number of respects, but somehow her reputation has endured in a ways Knighton-Hammond’s has not. Thinking of possible reasons for this, I wonder whether the relatively low prestige of watercolour as a medium might be a contributory factor here.
*Messum’s Gallery in London.