John Lessore's 13 Most Famous Paintings

Early Life, Family and Training

John Lessore was born in London in 1939, into a house where art was a constant presence. He grew up as the son of the painter Helen Lessore and the art dealer Frederick Lessore. His family connections to the medium were deep; he was also the nephew of the artist Walter Sickert. Growing up among these figures, he learned to see the world through arrangements of shapes and compositions. The walls of his childhood home were hung with works by Sickert and various French painters, helping him understand the underlying structure of a good painting from a young age.

His formal training began at the Chelsea School of Art. He later moved to the Slade School of Fine Art, where he studied from 1957 to 1961. During his time at the Slade, he studied under Sir Thomas Monnington, a teacher he held in high regard for his skill as a draughtsman. In 1961, his studies took him away from London when he won a travelling scholarship to Italy. This period allowed him to observe different light and form before he returned to his professional practice.

Technique and Artistic Style

Lessore’s process is one of slow accumulation. He rarely sits before a live model to capture a likeness in a single sitting. Instead, he relies on sketches and the persistence of memory, building up a composition over a long period of time. This method allows him to move beyond a simple visual record, using the time between observation and execution to refine the structure of a piece. His work is a blend of meticulous observation and expressive brushwork, where the precision of a detail meets the looseness of a stroke.

The surface of his canvases carries a physical weight. He uses a signature approach of thick impasto, applying paint heavily to create textured layers. These ridges of color do more than just define a shape; they give the portrait a sense of presence and physicality. By building up these layers, he manages to convey subtle shifts in tone and light that a flatter application might miss. The paint itself becomes a part of the subject's character, adding a tactile dimension to the way a face or a landscape is perceived.

Artistic Focus and Collaborations

His focus shifted toward the faces of individuals with disabilities. He began working closely with Paralympians, spending time documenting their expressions. He often caught them in moments of quiet thought or intense concentration. These portraits aim to capture the person behind the athlete, looking at the resilience in their features. His work in this area has led to various commissions and awards from organizations that support disability rights.

Much of his most recognized work involves his wife, Helen Lessore, a Paralympic athlete. Through her, and others like her, he explores the intersection of physical determination and human character. He also engaged in artistic dialogue through portraits of other creators, such as his depiction of Leon Kossoff. These collaborations show a shared interest in the weight of the human presence.

Key Works and Notable Pieces

His brushwork often settles on the quiet moments of a scene. In The Letter, Evening, painted about 1990, there is a sense of stillness in the composition. Similarly, Moguls and Starlets, Yellow Tent I from about 1993 captures a specific, contained atmosphere. These works show a preference for the way light and shadow settle on a subject during a particular time of day.

Much of his recent output focuses on the faces of those who compete at the highest levels of sport. In 2004, he produced Six British Paralympic Athletes, a piece that brings together several figures, including Maggie McEleny, Caroline Innes, Simon Jackson, Chris Holmes, Noel Thatcher, and Tanni Grey Thompson. His portrait of Maggie McEleny, Paralympic Swimmer and Gold Medal Winner, also from 2004, looks closely at the individual behind the achievement. These paintings do not look away from the reality of the subject, focusing instead on the concentration and the physical presence of the athlete.

His reach extends to the architecture of the past and the people who inhabit it. St James' Church, Peckham, London is a Victorian painting that captures the atmosphere of the historic setting. It shows a different side of his eye, moving from the human face to the weight and stillness of a building.

• The Letter, Evening (about 1990)
• Moguls and Starlets, Yellow Tent I (about 1993)
• Six British Paralympic Athletes (2004)
• Maggie McEleny, Paralympic Swimmer and Gold Medal Winner (2004)

Where to See the Works Today

His paintings are held in several public collections across the United Kingdom. In Kendal, the Abbot Hall Art Gallery houses three of his works. The Government Art Collection in London maintains one piece, while the Guildhall Art Gallery in London holds another. These locations offer a way to see his handling of light and form in person.

Other pieces have found their place in academic and national settings. The University of York holds a work by him, and the Tate includes his piece titled Allegorical Box in its collection. These various holdings allow his presence to be felt in different spaces, from quiet university halls to larger public galleries.