One of the outstanding draughtsmen of his generation, Augustus John studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London between 1894 and 1898 under Henry Tonks. Believing passionately in the supreme importance of observation in artistic training, Tonks insisted upon constant drawing from the life model, teaching his students to construct the illusion of form through accurate, rapidly executed lines, rather than through careful shading
and rubbing, the method taught in more traditional art schools. After the Slade, John's work continued to be based on figure compositions, which he drew with great facility, and as his career progressed he worked increasingly as a portraitist, Queen Elizabeth herself sitting for him during the war.

In September 1941 Queen Elizabeth acquired this chalk drawing of John’s son Robin, which Queen Elizabeth’s friend Sir Jasper Ridley had arranged to have sent to Buckingham Palace for her inspection.

Signed lower right John

Catalogue entry adapted from Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, London, 2005