ˈæftɚ bɹˈiːfli ɛkspˈɛɹɪməntɪŋ wɪð sɚɹˈiːəlɪzəm, baɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɛvən hiː hæd ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tə fˈɪɡjɚɹətˌɪv pˈeɪntɪŋ, mˈuːvɪŋ təwˈɔːɹd ðə jˈuːstən ɹˈoʊd skˈuːl ʌv ˈɜːbən ɹˈiːəlɪzəm fˈaʊndᵻd baɪ wˈɪljəm kˈoʊldstɹiːm.
After briefly experimenting with surrealism, by 1937 he had returned to figurative painting, moving toward the Euston Road School of urban realism founded by William Coldstream.