Frederick Roberts Johnson (1900–1986) Painting - Plated Sardine

A still life painting of a sardine on a plate by Frederick Roberts Johnson (1900–1986). Mixed media on papered board. Unsigned, but good provenance in that it has come directly from the artist's private estate.

Johnson was inspired by Cubism and Surrealism, as evident in this stylised painting, making it so evocative of the 1920s/30s Art Deco era. Somewhat reminiscent of the works of A. M. Cassandre, another graphic artist working during this period.

Frederick Roberts Johnson (1900–1986) was a successful British commercial artist and illustrator. In 1924 he and his close friend, artist Arthur Wragg visited Polperro, in Cornwall, and became enamoured with the fishing village. They rented a cottage there each summer throughout the 1930s, becoming an integral part of the arts community there. Johnson then acquired an old stone net loft in the village for use as a studio. His illustrations featured prominently in publications such as Punch, Everyman, and Time and Tide, as well as in advertisements that appeared on London buses and the Underground.

In 1942 he married Mimosa Wilson Cameron, an aspiring opera singer he met in Polperro. They settled in the village raising two daughters there. The family moved to Totnes in 1957 but maintained a property in Polperro for weekends and holidays.