It’s been brooding on my mind why I dislike the work on John Bratby. I have always thought his work to be quite dreadful and quite depressing. I thought I would give him the benefit of my endless doubt and I started reading up on him. It turns out that his work might have been more expressive than I could have imagined as he was jealous man, twisted in emotion and subjected his wife Jean Cooke to physical and mental abuse. This abuse included locking her in rooms, stopping her from painting freely and slashing her canvases up.
He has been championed by many, including the RA, focusing on the violence of his painting, but maybe it is time to cancel him, and his dreadful output. With the greater understanding of him as a man and of his work I still find it quite curious his work achieves such prices at auction.
In her filing for divorce Jean alleged “habitual violence since the date of the said marriage causing her injuries” . Her allegations were dramatic . Bratby’s assault in front of their children caused them anxiety .
