Alfred Thomson
(Redirected from Mr. A.R. Thomson)
Alfred Reginald Thomson (1894–1979) was an English artist, most notable for being the Official War Artist to the Royal Air Force in 1940.
He was born deaf and dumb in Bangalore, India. After his family returned to England, he attended the Royal School for Deaf Children at Margate.
In 1933, several British newspapers reported that the annual exhibition at the Royal Academy in Bristol featured a dramatic painting of Alfred Hitchcock by Thomson.
A deaf and dumb artist, Mr. A.R. Thomson, executed the excellent portrait of Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, the film producer, which will be seen in this year's Royal Academy. An interesting sidelight on the work is that artist and sitter conversed, during their "sessions" together, by means of little drawings. Mr. Thomson illustrated the pose he wanted by this means, and his sitter, entering into the spirit of the "conversation," provided quite a series of small sketches.
— Gloucestershire Echo (26/Apr/1933)
The Western Morning News (29/Apr/1933) reported that the painting "shows our ablest film director dramatically placed in studio surroundings".
