John Bulloch Souter Art

John Bulloch Souter was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he studied at Gray’s School of Art. A traveling scholarship allowed him to visit the continent, where he was impressed by Velasquez, Chardin and Vermeer. After serving in the Royal Medical Corps during World War I, Souter soon married and moved to London. It was during this post-war period that he made his name as a portrait painter; his subjects included personalities such as Ivor Novello, Gladys Cooper and Fay Compton. Souter exhibited at Redfern Gallery, the Fine Art Society, Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy, where his notorious painting The Breakdown was shown in 1926. During World War II, he worked in the Censorship Department as a translator, while also restoring paintings at Windsor Castle. Souter returned to Aberdeen in 1952, where he remained.