To John Piper (1903-1992) buildings were like people – they had their own character and personality, and they changed over time. Decay was to him something to delight in – a “decrepit glory”, a “pleasing decay” he called it, something he could apply his art to with “magnificent swagger”.

In the 1930s, Piper was a leader in the field of abstract painting in Britain, but by the end of the decade had reverted to naturalism. Affected by the threatening times, in 1939 he began to capture the landscapes, townscapes and buildings of an England he sensed was about to be lost. And he did so in a subjective, emotionally charged way that made him one of the most popular British artists of the 20th century.

These energetic blends of modernism and romanticism – the moody ruins, halls, castles and churches – are the works for which Piper is most well-known. More than any other artist of his era, writes his biographer Frances Spalding in her much praised biography of John Piper and his wife Myfanwy published by Oxford University Press last autumn, he sought to translate native traditions into modern terms.

There are good examples of Piper’s contemporary take on architecture and the landscapes of England and Wales to enjoy at the Dadbrook Gallery’s latest exhibition. Both early and later works are for sale: originals, etchings, screenprints and lithographs, with prices starting at about £500. One screenprint made in 1986 shows the Pebble Alcove at Stowe, a place he often visited, another, the Duchêne Fountain at Blenheim; and there are lithographs of Yarnton Monument, and Lewknor in Oxfordshire.

Piper had many links with Oxfordshire. He settled with Myfanwy in 1937 at Fawley Bottom, a hamlet on the edge of the Chilterns near Henley-on-Thames, living there until he died in 1992. Spalding describes their lives together, their work that ‘placed them centre stage in the cultural landscape of the 20th century’, and their entertaining visitors from Kenneth Clark, John Betjeman, Benjamin Britten, to the Queen Mother. Myfanwy, who read English at St Hugh’s, Oxford, edited Axis, the most avant-garde art magazine of the time. Piper was a versatile and prolific artist, working in a wide range of media. You can see his changes of style in this exhibition: from early Brighton topographical prints, to Indian dancers, an arresting Foliate Head, simple Travel Notes, and two late flower screenprints, Blue Hydrangea, and a charming Terrace with Morning Glories, blooms and brickwork bathing in warm sunshine. John Piper, Paintings and Original Lithographs is at Dadbrook Gallery, Dadbrook House, Cuddington, Bucks, HP180AG. It’s easy to find, just off the A418 between Thame and Aylesbury. Open 11am-6pm daily until Sunday, January 31. Signed copies of Frances Spalding’s book are on sale (Hardcover £25), also a DVD about Piper.

For enquiries/directions: Tel 01844 292459, email: info@dadbrookgallery.co.uk or visit www.dadbrookgallery.co.uk