Peter Brook (British, 1927–2009) was raised on a farm in West Yorkshire. He was best known for his landscapes, which depicted all facets of British life. He was inspired by his surroundings and enjoyed painting architecture and farmhouses. Brook attended Goldsmith's College in London where he studied to become a teacher. During this time, he visited art galleries and attended drawing classes in the evening.
Brook became an art teacher at Sowerby Grammar school and frequently took his students on trips to the English countryside. For Brook, the land provided all the inspiration he needed. He produced his own artwork while teaching, and, in 1962, he was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists. At the beginning of his career, Brook preferred to use thick paint. Later, he switched to a thinner paint mixed with sandstone to give his buildings a more realistic appearance. He used rags, wire brushes, and his fingers to create hazy effects in his pieces. He enjoyed painting dilapidated buildings, mills, and farm life. He infused his sense of humor into his paintings and titles. The piece entitled Clayton Street With a Lady Peeping is a classic example of his work. When he painted a ramshackle building, the tenants would peek at him through the curtains thinking he was preparing a demolition order.
Brook considered his style anti-academic, and he was inspired by the work of Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Brook painted in many areas of Europe, including Scotland, Cornwall, and the Potteries, but his favorite was the Yorkshire Pennines. He often traveled to the mountainous region during the winter and painted snow-covered landscapes. One of his works, Drawing in Worsening Conditions, features a figure standing on a rock overlooking a farm during a heavy snowfall. In typical Brook fashion, a sheep stands nearby. During his lifetime, Brook's work was shown in galleries throughout America, Europe, and Australia. He was featured in many successful one-man shows. Some of his most well-known paintings were published in the book Peter Brook—The Pennine Landscape Painter. Brook married in 1950 and resided in West Yorkshire for the rest of his life. The artist died in 2009.
