John Nash (1893-1977) was born in London and became a newspaper reporter. It was only through the influence of his brother Paul that Nash was encouraged to pursue art and become a still-life and landscape painter, as well as an illustrator and wood engraver. During WWI, as an artist Nash created his most famous work Over the Top which now hangs in the Imperial War Museum.
After WWI, Nash married and concentrated on water colors and painting landscapes that hold symbolic meanings related to the human condition. In 1920, Nash became one of the founding members of The Society of Wood Engravers. His engravings were first meant for literary journals and then for books. All his depictions of cats are wood engravings. Most of the cats are captured in a typical cat position, sitting on a chair sleeping. He was awarded a CBE in 1964. Nash died in 1977 soon after his wife, and is buried by her side at St. Andrews Wormingford, Essex.
Cat on a Chair
Wood engraving
1919
Two Cats
Wood engraving
Cat Asleep
Wood Engraving
1920
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