Draft:Norman Basil Town

Norman Basil Town (sometimes referred to as Norman Basil Towne) was a leading exponent of the neo-romantic movement in art in England during the period 1935 to 1970.

The art dealer Peter Nahum (who held an exhibition of Town's work in London in 1994) wrote of town:

"'Three pictures of bomb craters by an unknown artist were accepted by the War Advisory Committee in 1943, at the height of the war. They were the work of Norman Basil Town...With no formal art training at that time, Town was recording what he saw. In the words of W.T. Oliver, an art critic of the time, 'here was an artist of unusual sensibility' and this talent was recognised early on by Ernest Musgrave, director of the Wakefield Art Gallery, who was Town's first private collector and who decided, on his own initiative, to send the bomb crater pictures to the Committee''". "

During World War II, Keith Vaughan, who was an influence on and was influenced by Town, and Town forged a deep friendship as conscientious objectors serving in the army. Despite the challenges they faced – enduring laborious tasks and, as conscientious objectors, facing contempt from peers and civilians – they found solace in their shared cultural and intellectual pursuits. Vaughan, the mentor, introduced Town to various artists and art forms, nurturing his budding talent

In his diaries, Vaughan described Town:

"The main points about N are the transparency of his person and his lack of armour and defencelessness to life. He is like a piece of spiritual machinery with one side cut away so that one can watch it working. He opens only on to himself."

While serving in the army camps and later in the coal mines, Town expressed his experiences through art with remarkable clarity and intensity. His works from this period radiate a sense of prophetic ardor, capturing both moments of tranquility and scenes of violence with equal poignancy.

Following the war, Town continued to explore his artistic vision, studying at the Royal College of Art and embarking on extensive travels across the British countryside. Despite his introspective nature, he dedicated himself to teaching graphic design at the Wimbledon School of Art for over two decades.

Rediscovery
Although Town's early work garnered attention, outside of art historical circles it was largely forgotten over the years until the fortuitous rediscovery of his art scrapbook from the 1940s. This rediscovery sheds new light on Town's significant but overlooked contribution to modern British art, showcasing his distinctive creative brilliance during a tumultuous period in history.

In 2004, an unexpected turn of events led to the discovery of a remarkable treasure trove: a scrapbook bursting with creativity, adorned with dozens of drawings, gouaches, and watercolors by the painter Norman Town (1915–87). This extensive collection, lightly glued onto its pages, had been abandoned and found its way into a sale. Fortunately, an individual with an eye for artistic talent recognized its intrinsic value and alerted the art dealer Jeremy Green. Initially, there was speculation that these artworks were by Keith Vaughan, given the striking stylistic similarities to Vaughan's works from the 1940s. John Ball, a close friend of Vaughan and a significant supporter of his art, supported this initial assessment. However, upon closer examination, it became evident that the pieces were indeed by Norman Basil Town, a contemporary of Vaughan's who was born just three years later.