The untitled still life above was created by David Hockney in the attic of his mother's old house in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. I believe it was made with the aid of an i-pad and probably produced during the first decade of this century. For a few years, Hockney loved to work in and around Bridlington. He enjoyed the peace and the fact that it was difficult for people to bother him there.
The picture below was created by L.S.Lowry in his own inimitable style. It is simply called "Industrial Landscape (Ashton-under-Lyne" and was produced in 1952 before being purchased by the city of Bradford in 1957. Lowry was always drawn to images of life and industry in northern cities - most commonly to the twin cities that he knew best - Manchester and Salford. If put up for sale today, this picture would certainly fetch around £5,000,000. I would be very happy to have it on my wall.
The next picture was painted by George Clausen in 1908. The old man is focused on the present and the work he must endure but the young man is looking far off into the future. It is called "The Boy and the Man" and was very much of its time - wrestling between old certainties and new opportunities. The paint must have been applied in a fairly dry state which adds to the interesting texture of the canvas.
In a semi-circular apse near the front entrance to Cartwright Hall there is a powerful white marble statue which was commissioned by the city of Bradford to mark the end of World War One. Fashioned by Francis Derwent Wood (1871-1926), it is called "Humanity Overcoming War" and depicts a scene suggested to the artist by a line in The Book of Revelations that speaks of an angel binding Satan in chains.
The last piece of Bradford art is not to be found in Cartwright Hall but in a corner of Centenary Square. It was given to Bradford by the city of Hamm in Germany in memory of those who lost their lives in the terrible Bradord City fire disaster which occurred in May 1985. Fifty six football fans died that day and 265 were injured. It happened at Valley Parade - the home stadium of Bradford City F.C..
Good for you to view some art that is available. Too many of us see very little art.
ReplyDeleteArts about humans rising above day to day matters. Food for the soul.
DeleteAll interesting works, but made even better by your stories of what happened to spur their creation. All told I am quite drawn to the L.S.Lowry in his own inimitable style. It is simply called "Industrial Landscape" painting. It's simple and naive but quite expansive in its story of the town.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you like the Lowry picture Bob. Maybe you should google him and see more.
DeleteI wouldn't pretend to know anything at all about art but I like all of these works.
ReplyDeleteI saw something once about Lowry, was it a documentary? I'm not sure but I am drawn to the depiction of factory workers and their surrounds. So much humanity is found in those places
Lowry shone a light on ordinary existence and found a unique style. He was as obsessive as David Hockney.
Delete5 million pounds?? Wow. I like The Boy and The Man one, but can't see it fitting in well with my current decor, which is more a collection of "stuff" than actual decor.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your flat is itself an artwork Elsie! "Adelaide Home" by Elsie River - ticket price $3 million.
DeleteHumanity overcoming war - if only! Last night‘s events prove the opposite, once again.
ReplyDeleteIs Hamm twinned with Bradford, or was there some other reason for them to give the sculpture to Bradford?
Yes Hamm is twinned with Bradford. In fact on the day of the disaster there were civic representatives from Hamm in the crowd as Bradford had just won the championship of, I believe, the third division.
DeleteI could look at pictures 2 and 3 for hours. I was in at the 'birth' of Hockney's career. I never liked his paintings. Then I saw the first of the BBC (?) films about him and altered my views of him and, perhaps a little bit, of his paintings. Thanks for reminding me. anot Hockney. I must make time to write a post.
ReplyDeleteI very much admire Hockney's work on isolated spots high up on The Yorkshire Wolds and I admire the fact that throughout his long life in Art, he has evolved.
Delete"Going To The Match" is my favourite LS Lowry painting outside Burnden Park.
ReplyDeleteI believe that that painting is still in the possession of The Football Association.
DeleteChecking this out via Google, I see that there in fact TWO Lowry paintings called "Going To The Match".
DeleteGenerally I like Hockney's works but not this one.
ReplyDeleteClausen's painting is terrific.
I like the way the citizens of Bradford continue to this day to boycott Murdoch media over the company's outrageous reporting of the fire.
I just picked that picture out as one of about ten Hockney still lifes on display in Cartwright Hall. I liked its simplicity. I didn't know about the Murdoch boycott but I wish that that big-headed geezer had never left Australia's shores.
DeleteWhen Hockney was in Brid, his studio overlooked our street. One of his paintings was called roof tops of Bridlington, and it has my house roof on it. Sadly, I was never able to get a print of it. I do like his Wolds paintings, and especially his view from Garrowby Hill. I knew his late brother Paul better - a very lovely, gentle man, and an accomplished artist in his own right, though he was encouraged to go into architecture by his family.
ReplyDeleteThe Bradford fire was an absolute tragedy. In the midst of the miner's strike, many of the victims were miners from outlying places who had been treated to a day at the match to boost their spirits in all they were going through. Unimaginable that it ended in such a way.
Fascinating Elizabeth. I didn't know that you lived in Brid. - somehow I had imagined the middle of North Yorkshire - around Thirsk or Helmsley - somewhere like that. I also did not know about miners being in attendance at that tragic football match.
DeleteOriginally from North Yorkshire, and it is where my heart is, but I could never afford to live there as an adult. My home village is full of holiday cottages and weekend retreats, bought up by wealthy people from the cities, and forcing the locals to move away. It's a story repeated many times throughout the more scenic parts of our land.
DeleteThanks for the art!
ReplyDeleteI think I like that statue of mankind overcoming war the best. It is powerful. Just wish we could keep that particular demon in chains but we just can't seem to do it.
I worry that the crisis in the middle east may spark a terrible conflict - that may in the future be known as World War III.
DeleteNice collection, I hope you have found someplace to work where you adoring fans don't pester you.
ReplyDeleteMy adoring fans are incredibly shy David!
DeleteYou know a lot about it. Did you do a bit of research for the post or do you just know about these things? I am not as well versed about art as you but it's nice to look at.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am a clever clogs Ellen!... But some research was required and of course I picked up things by simply viewing these artefacts.
DeleteA very attractive selection of photos YP, with their interesting histories. The photo taken of the statue in the semi-circular apse shows what a well maintained building Cartwright Hall is.
ReplyDeleteI remember that there was a song, dedicated to Lowry's paintings, called I think, "Matchstick Men", but forget who sang it.
It was by Brian and Michael. Check out this link...
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DCQiiUEb0
It's interesting that even though Hockney "painted" that artwork in England, it looks very California. He seemed to carry California in his soul.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to read up on the Bradford stadium disaster. I remember Hillsborough but I don't remember Bradford.
He loved and no doubt still loves Los Angeles but disliked New York City which felt claustrophobic to him. Yes - please do check out what happened in Bradford that terrible day Steve.
DeleteI like the The Old Man and The Boy, it says so much, to me, anyway. The young look outward and forward, the old look inward and backwards. It's so very strange to not be able to make long range plans anymore, no maybe I'll live on an acreage one day, or visit the Maldives. But it's also life. Thanks for sharing the paintings.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I'm familiar with any of these even if I may have heard the names of the first two painters. Quite beside the point of anything, though, you made me remember Bridlington (visited on a day trip during my famous stay in Yorkshire 50+ years ago)
ReplyDeleteI commissioned my first artwork that was done digitally and recently received it. I was blown away at how detailed it was considering the medium and how much it looks like an actual painting from a distance. Only when really close do you realize that no brush marks are visible.
ReplyDeleteSome nice pieces there. I'm particularly intrigued by the Lowry and the Clausen.
ReplyDelete