John Bolam Art

John Bolam was born in 1922 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He originally studied painting at the Hornsey School of Art and furniture design at High Wycombe School of Art. He subsequently became a member of the Great Bardfield group of artists. Close friends and colleagues from that time included Michael Rothenstein, Edward Bawden, John Aldridge and Edward Middleditch. From 1970–83, Bolam was Head of the School of Art at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. He is seen by many as following in the path of the neo-Romantics, most notably John Piper and Graham Sutherland, but his imagery subsequently evolved independently. Bolam was also strongly influenced by French artists such as Braque and Degas as well as the English landscape, especially the Chilterns.