Craigie Aitchison
Craigie Aitchison distilled painting down to its essentials: luminous colour, spare composition and an emotional stillness that is instantly recognisable. His portraits, crucifixions, still lifes and landscapes are deceptively simple — quiet works with extraordinary presence.
Biography
Craigie Aitchison (1926–2009) was one of the most distinctive voices in post-war British painting. Born in Edinburgh, he initially studied law before turning to art and attending the Slade School of Fine Art in London.
His visual language was shaped by a deep sensitivity to colour and by his response to early Italian painting. He repeatedly returned to a small group of subjects — portraits, still lifes, landscapes, Bedlington terriers and the Crucifixion — stripping them back until only the essential remained.
That reduction never made the work cold. Aitchison’s paintings are intimate, devotional and often unexpectedly tender, with flat fields of colour and carefully balanced forms creating a sense of stillness that is entirely his own.
Available works
Highlights
- An unmistakable colour language and sense of compositional restraint.
- A major position within modern British figurative painting.
- Works that feel intimate and contemplative without losing visual strength.
- Portraiture and still life subjects that sit beautifully in both modern and traditional interiors.
- The current Indelible selection consists of three original paintings, each priced at £20,000.
References
For collectors wanting more context around Aitchison’s career, these institutional and critical references give a strong overview of his life, recurring imagery and place within British art.
At Indelible
Our current Craigie Aitchison selection brings together three original paintings: Portrait after Delacroix, Portrait of Patrick Conyngham and The Pomegranate. Together they show three sides of the artist’s practice — art-historical portraiture, intimate likeness and distilled still life.
Each work is currently offered at £20,000. We can provide further condition, framing and provenance information and arrange a viewing or more detailed discussion on request.
Explore the current Craigie Aitchison selection, or contact us for condition, provenance and viewing information.