ABSTRACT
John Petts's romantic yearning for the mountainous realm of Wales was conceived in an urban environment. Petts maintained that the strong visual impressions of his childhood had been accentuated by ill health. From about the age of six he suffered from curvature of the spine and was unable to attend school for any length of time, having to spend half the day lying flat on his back. After a year of drawing at Hornsey School of Art, Petts passed on to the painting group there, where he worked assiduously under Robert Lyon, a dynamic young painter recently returned from Rome who later became Principal of the Edinburgh College of Art. After completing three years at Hornsey, Petts received a National Diploma in Painting and decided to apply for a place at the Royal Academy. The Academy also introduced Petts to a social world beyond the scope of his suburban upbringing.
