The Art of Craigie Aitchinson RA

John Ronald “Craigie” Aitchison was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 13 January 1926, the son of a successful Scottish Lawyer. He went on to study Law at Edinburgh and London’s Middle Temple before becoming an artist. Craigie started painting in 1950 and went onto study at the Slade School of Art in London in 1952. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1978 and in 1999 became a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

Colour defines Craigies Paintings along with a sensibility to perceive what is unique or even odd in the commonplace. An eclectic mix of flowers, vases, crucifixes, dead birds, landscapes and his beloved Bedlinton Terriers form his subject matter.
At a first glance the work might seem naïve, almost ‘primitive’. But that would be to misunderstand it. For these paintings are deeply informed by a love of the Italian masters.

Many of the objects he chooses to paint are those that clutter his daily life, a washing line, the bird bath from his Italian garden, the cypress trees that dot the landscape around Siena, where he lives.

The Crucifixes, a major theme I his work, are inspired by altarpieces in Italian churches and the Belington dogs have been central to his life and art since he discovered the breed at Crufts (dog show) in 1971.