An Itinerant Life I

John Meyer is a South African painter best known for his realistic depictions of landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits. Meyer’s work can be identified through the sense of intimacy between the viewer and the figures, as well as his use of dramatic light. Since the 1990s, the artist has specialized in painting scenes depicting couples or individuals through ambiguous, yet implied narratives. Born in 1942 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, he went on to study at Johannesburg Technical College School of Art before working in advertising and as an illustrator in London. The artist has exhibited at both the Slater Memorial Museum in Connecticut and the Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg, among others. Today, Meyer lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.