John Craxton/Pallant Gallery Chichester

The Pallant Gallery has done – more than any other museum – much to redeem the reputation of many 20th Century British painters.

In some cases, like the 1920s society artist Glyn Philpott or Leon Underwood, I wondered why, whereas with others – like Johnny Minton, regarded as the equal of Francis Bacon – the effort was successful.

John Craxton, I felt, lay somewhere in the middle.

His life was more interesting than his works.

Born in St. John’s Wood in 1922 to a bohemian musical family, he had little formal schooling.

He shared a flat with the young Lucian Freud, was supported by Peter Watson of the Horizon magazine, had an affaire with Margot Fonteyn and found his spiritual and sexual home in Crete with a largely homosexual lifestyle.

He was also an illustrator for the travel books of Patrick Leigh Fermor.

At its best his work was colourful and joyous.

I did my normal procedure of skooting around the exhibition quickly and then studying in finer detail a couple of paintings which intrigued  me.

Such a careful study – particularly of 3 sailors enjoying lunch – did not convince me that there was any real depth to his work.

Another, with an angular twisted background, reflected a Cubist influence.

His work has been criticised for being too ‘happy’ – a strange critique.

My final view is that I would be more interested in learning about his life than appreciating his artistic output.