æɾ ˈeɪdʒ ˈeɪtiːn, hiː ˈɛntɚd ðə slˈeɪd skˈuːl, lˈʌndən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɛvən ˌʌndɚ hˈɛnɹi tˈɔŋks, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌzɐ kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi ʌv wˈɪljəm kˈoʊldstɹiːm.
At age 18, he entered the Slade School, London in 1927 under Henry Tonks, where he was a contemporary of William Coldstream.