Nudes in a Nightmare Landscape

Austin Osman Spare was an artist, philosopher and occult magician. His interest in the occult was sparked at the age of seven when he was befriended by a mysterious old woman, Mrs Patterson, whom he referred to as his 'Witch-mother'. Patterson initiated Spare into witchcraft during a Sabbath meeting and gave him his craft name 'Zos'. More significantly in terms of his painting, Patterson taught Spare how to visualise and realise dream imagery.

Leaving school at thirteen, Spare served an apprenticeship in a stained glass factory in order to attend evening classes at the Lambeth School of Art. From here he obtained a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, Kensington. During his teenage years Spare's fascination with the occult steadily grew, heavily influencing his painting which was often produced in self-induced trances which he claimed were controlled by intrusive occult intelligences working through him. In 1904 Spare exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time and his picture generated a storm of publicity. Fellow artist John Singer Sargent is recorded as hailing Spare a genius. The following year Spare published his first book of drawings 'Earth Inferno' which included grotesque figures, some of which portrayed semi-human spirit forms. Spare's drawings resembled those of Aubrey Beardsley, but were full of grotesque, sexualised human figures and magical symbols. His controversial subject matter propelled him into the eye of London's avant-garde set and sparked the interest of the intellectual dandys of the time. It also brought Spare to the attention of Aleister Crowley whose sect 'Argentium Astrum', an occult society known as the 'Order of the Silver Star', he became a member of, albeit briefly.

The style of signature firmly places this watercolour to circa 1926-7 and the female figure depicted was a favourite model at this period.

We are grateful to Robert Ansell for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.