John Piper

After a career spanning the 20th century, British artist John Piper is recognized for his mastery in painting landscapes and architecture. During WWI, Piper was inspired by artists of the avant-garde like his friend Alexander Calder, though the conclusion of the war provoked a move to representational subjects and inclusion in the Seven and Five Society (dedicated to a “return to order” in post-war art). WWII was also of great impact to Piper's work—selected as the official war artist, he depicted the ruins of the England, employing his aptitude for depicting landscapes and imperial homes to portray the loss and aftermath of bombings. Often painting at night with buildings still ablaze, Piper created impassioned representations of the wartime atmosphere, defining a romantic perspective of architecture and topography engrained in his work thereafter.