John William North

North was known for his pictures of tangled vegetation painted in subdued shades of brown and orange. Here, a figure is hidden in the dense undergrowth on the right, fanning a fire with a blanket. Smoke rises from the ground behind the figure. North was connected to a group of artists known as the Idyllists. Their paintings depicted idealised rural landscapes. They felt the countryside could provide peace, comfort and a spiritual connection, at a time when rural England was being rapidly industrialised. North opposed the enclosure of common lands and campaigned for rural sanitation and social housing.