John Emanuel

In our upcoming Cornish Art, Fine Art & Studio Pottery auction is a collection of 30 plus works by artist John Emanuel (1930-2024).

John was an artist with a unique and distinctive visual language. He applied a textured base to his paintings, with such marks being mirrored in his print making and drawings. This foundation was layered with palettes that were sometimes earthen, sometimes primary, and was defined by his portrayal of the human form, often disguised within the landscape.

Figure and Skyline, Oil on handmade paper, 26.5 x 38cm

In his former years, John trained in painting and decorating, and later worked as a sign writer to support himself and his family. It was alongside this that he began to develop his skills in painting and drawing. With a growing interest in Art, John decided to move from the North of England to Cornwall in 1964, befriending artists Dick Gilbert, John Wells, Denis Mitchell and Alexander Mackenzie. John had his first one-person exhibition at the Wills Lane Gallery, St Ives in 1975. Other exhibitions followed primarily with Montpelier/Sandelson in London, Beaux Arts Gallery Bath, Candover Gallery Hampshire, Stour Gallery, Shipton upon Stour and Castlegate Gallery, Cumbria.

He took occupancy of Studio 2 at the famous Porthmeor Studios in St Ives in 1982 and worked there continuously until a short time before his death in 2024. He was an active member of the Penwith Society of Artists and the Newlyn Society of Artists for the majority of his professional life and was made an Honorary Member of the St Ives Society of Artists in 2023. A larger-than-life character, and part of the artist fabric of St Ives since coming to live in the town in 1980, collectors and friends often gravitated to John’s studio where there was always a warm and friendly welcome. Non-the-less the studio was a place of serious hard work.

  
Seated Figure - Blue & Yellow, Oil/mixed media on board, signed, 49.5 x 41cm

John's art was distinctive from the earliest days. He employed a very physical approach to his work through his application of media using charcoal, ink and gouache in his drawings and thick impasto of oil paint with varnishes and other techniques to form the basis of his paintings. His subject was predominantly the figure often placed ambiguously within the landscape, initially of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, later Cumbria.

This select group of paintings, drawings and monoprints has been brought together from an important private collection of the artist’s work that has been built up over a period of more than 30 years, in most cases having been acquired directly from the artist.

Thank you to Michael Gaca for his words and knowledge for this blog post. 

View John Emanuel's collection here.

Cornish Art, Fine Art & Studio Pottery - 19th & 20th of February, 2026.

Figure & Pier, St Ives, Oil/mixed media on paper, signed and titled to verso, 58 x 77cm