Frank Humphrey Allen

(1896-1977)

Sacred art can be found in the most unexpected places. I discovered Frank Humphrey Allen’s work at a sales exhibition in a banquet room in a Cyprus resort hotel. One look at Tobias & the Angel and The King told me these imaginative, idiosyncratic paintings would find no buyers in this tourist venue. My hunch about the quality of the artwork was confirmed, when I heard Allen’s life story from his niece.

During the 1930s and1940s, the London-born Allen studied his craft and took part in exhibitions alongside artists, whose names now read like a Who’s Who of Contemporary British Art. Then, in 1949, his life took a mysterious turn. He abandoned the London art scene to lead a quiet life in Norfolk, refusing to become a “niche” artist with a trademark style. Allen’s independence came at a cost. He died unrecognized by the British art establishment, leaving behind a treasure trove of unknown works.

Religious themes appear frequently in Allen’s art in a variety of styles. Biblical Landscapes I,  Biblical Landscape II and The King show the clear influence of Georges Rouault.  His naïf gouache studies, The Call and Light of the World, recall the marginal scenes in illuminated manuscripts. Tobias & the Angel seems as fresh as a child’s Sunday school drawing, a sacred scene where angels beckon and dogs romp, while Garden of Gethsemane creates a dream landscape of enigmatic meaning. Allen's interpretation of The Crucifixion, showing the beardless Christ of early Christian imagery, inspires reflection on Jesus as the innocent Lamb of God and Only-Begotten Son. Even in In the Studio, a curious interior scene of paintings within paintings, there are numinous moments—a trinity of fish swimming in a tank, an angelic figure in a picture, propped up on an easel, ressembling a cross.

For me, Allen is one of the most appealing contemporary exponents of the endangered tradition of artistic story-telling, an all but forgotten artist who deserves to be accorded his proper place in 20th century art—whether sacred or secular.