AN ELGIN EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
A delightful world traveller and lover of the countryside, Julian Barrow is a renowned name in the world of art. He was an internationally distinguished postwar and contemporary painter, with over a 1000 appealing paintings of tranquil rural landscapes and bustling urban scenes.
Image by The Times
Julian Barrow in his magnificent studio in Chelsea, formerly occupied by famous artists like Augustus John and James Whistler.
Julian Barrow is best known for painting the world on his canvas. With an incredible talent for capturing light using his traditional oil technique he painted towns, landscapes and, elegant country houses. The gentle strokes of his brush gave his paintings certain warmth and a unique charming energy. His exquisite work has been featured at several galleries and exhibitions like the Royal Academy, Browse and Darby London, the Majlis gallery Dubai, and auctioned at premier auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. His paintings are displayed at multiple private art galleries across London, India, Middle East, and New York.
Julian Barrow’s painting of Bijaipur, Rajasthan, India ; medium oil on canvas.
Exhibiting great flair as a draughtsman, Julian Barrow had pursued art and studied in Florence for several years with another famous artist, Pietro Annigoni. He eventually became the President of the Chelsea Art Society and continued travelling the world to paint, which he claimed was an exciting part of his profession as a landscape artist.
Julian Barrow’s painting of the Queen addressing the Parliament, now a part of the Parliamentary Art Collection of the United Kingdom.
The magnitude of appreciation for Julian Barrow’s artwork can be well understood by it’s brilliant acclamation by royalty and architectural experts alike. He was commissioned to paint the House of Lords for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 a painting which now hangs at Westminster. James Lees Milne, a British architectural historian and writer described Julian Barrow as a ‘country house painter par excellence’.
Another prominent English historian, John Julius Norwich noted that Barrow’s pictures “radiate a love of life, a joy in light and shade and colour, a grateful appreciation of all the blessedness that lies around us if we can only make the effort to see it. They warm us; they cheer us; they convince us that whatever terrible things happen in the world, there is a beauty there a-plenty for the asking – and for the taking.”
Image by Ian Yacobucc
Julian Barrow paints the beautiful Taj Mahal at sunset from the shores of the Yamuna River.
Julian Barrow stayed at the glorious Elgin Fairlawn, Kolkata while discovering the beauty of India as a muse for his vivid canvasses. India’s wonderful variety of subjects and classic architecture from different time periods made the celebrated artist keep coming back to the country for inspiration.
