John Salt
b. 1937
Paint by Numbers
Oil on canvas
68" x 77"
Signed verso in his hand:
John Salt, titled. Paint by Numbers and numbered A6869 above signature
Provenance
I talked to John regarding this painting and he told me that he painted it for a charity auction. Acquired at Butterfield and Butterfield Auction about 1998
John Salt (b. 1937)
John Salt became known as one of the foremost photorealist painters after moving to America from Britain in 1967. The automobile was the main theme of his work during the 1970s – his poetic depictions of abandoned cars and mobile homes are a vivid testament to a consumerist society. To create his paintings, Salt draws an outline onto the canvas using a photograph projected from a slide. Colour is added using an airbrush, with stencils used to get a precise effect. This eliminates the hand of the artist and removes any trace of self-expression. Salt returned to live in England in 1978 and still depicts predominantly American subjects. Born in Birmingham, he studied at Birmingham College of Art and the Slade School of Art in London.