Derek Chittock (21 February 1922 – 21 February 1986) was a British art critic, art historian and portrait painter. He was also active as a cartoonist, creating the gag comics ''Bennie'' and ''Barley Bottom'' in the late 1950s, early 1960s.

Biography

Chittock studied at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

between 1942 and 1947 under Randolph Schwabe and continued his art education under

Philip Connard Philip Connard, (24 March 1875 – 8 December 1958) was a British painter known particularly for his paintings of decorative landscapes. Connard rose from humble origins to become an eminent artist in oils and watercolours whose commissions bro ...

at the Royal Academy schools. Although still a student at the time, Chittock was commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee to paint two portraits of Admiralty subjects near the end of World War Two. Chittock was a member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

and in the early 1950s was recruited by the

Artists' International Association The Artists' International Association (AIA) was an organisation founded in London in 1933 out of discussion among Pearl Binder, Clifford Rowe, Misha Black, James Fitton, James Boswell, James Holland, Edward Ardizzone, Peter Laszlo Peri'Artists ...

to serve on the selection committee for their ''Artists for Peace'' exhibitions. Chittock also worked as the art critic for the

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...

newspaper. He resigned that post, and his membership of the Communist Party, in 1956 following the

Soviet invasion of Hungary The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

. Chittock, who sometimes signed his work as ''James Dudley'', completed several covers for the magazine '' John Bull''. Chittock, who at times painted in the Socialist realism style, exhibited at the Royal Academy, the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and ...

and for long periods lived in Hertfordshire and Sevenoaks.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chittock, Derek British art critics 1922 births 1986 deaths 20th-century British painters Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art British draughtsmen British male painters British war artists British comics artists Communist Party of Great Britain members English illustrators World War II artists 20th-century British male artists