Original landscape watercolour of historic Tom Tower and its great bell are to Christ Church and to Oxford, what Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben are to London. For over three hundred years, Great Tom, the bell residing in the belfry of Tom Tower, has provided the background noise to life in Oxford, from the everyday marking of the hours, to the celebration of anniversaries and other great events. This small watercolour has been hand signed by the artist.
Approximate unmounted measurements
7 1/2 x 11 inches.
John Bastin was born in London in 1929
After National Service in the Royal Navy, he went up to Corpus Christi, Oxford on an open scholarship to read natural science. He obtained his BA in 1952, subsequently gaining his MA in 1955 and Ph.D in 1956.
A series of academic posts followed, culminating in his years as Professor of Astrophysics at Queen Mary College, London University.
Throughout his career John painted watercolours and brought his knowledge of physics to enrich the use of the medium. During the 1980’s he held a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship on ‘ Effects of Atmosphere on Landscape’.
John studied at Goldsmiths and the Royal Academy Schools. Since much of his work is landscape, he is able to keep to the Rowland Hilder precept ‘paint a sky a day’.
John currently lives in Bruton, Somerset with his wife. He travels to Yorkshire several times a year working on site to capture new scenes in watercolour sketches. He then reworks these images at his studio and manages to maintain the element of immediacy present in his sketches using his distinctive loose style.
Stock ref 63
