The industrial revolution was by far the most important and influential revolution that has ever happened to civilisation, since someone, perhaps in the middle east, discovered that a seed bearing plant could be turned into food (bread). That amazing ‘discovery’ enabled the ‘spare-time’ for humanity to develop other skills and helped to propel humanity beyond the limitations of living as the nomadic hunter gatherers that humans had been living as for millennium up to the point of becoming farmers. Special issue - not to be missed.

2 “artists of the revolution” contents part one: how did the revolution come about?.. pages 4 to 7 part two: Pierre Adolphe Valette.in the beginning... pages 8 to 10 part three: artists born in the North of England... pages 11 to 38 part four: a second Revolution for painters?... pages 39 to 47 Front Page: ‘Painting by Roger Hampson, courtesy of Gateway Gallery, Hale. www.gateway-gallery.co.uk Back Page: “Acid Trip” Courtesy of the Arnberg Taylor Family This page Photograph: ©Manchester Libaries, (coloured by Tubes) The image is Bridge 5 on the Ashton to Manchester Canal. circa: 1960’s

painters 3 TUBES “artists of the revolution” an introduction When you say the word ‘Revolution’ another word automatically springs to mind to precede it. French is one, American or Russian are others. These Revolutions involved violence, out right war and sudden social change.Few people automatically think to put the word ‘industrial’ in front of ‘Revolution’. Maybe it’s because the ‘Industrial Revolution’ was a slow burn affair, one that occured over much time, but it changed society more so than that of the familiar historical ‘Revolution’s, ones that are associated with the dramatic thrust of a blatant and far reaching change to the social fabric. Yet the industrial revolution was by far the most important and influential revolution that has ever happened to civilisation, since someone, perhaps in the middle east, discovered that a seed bearing plant could be turned into food(bread). That amazing ‘discovery’ enabled the ‘spare-time’ for humanity to develop other skills and helped to propelhumanity beyond the limitations of living as the nomadic hunter gatherers thathumans had been living as for millennium up to the point of becoming farmers. For our story, about how the industrial revolution affected Art and Artists, we have started by making some educated insights and assumptions as to why the Industrial Revolution came about. painters Tubes magazine designed & produced by Studio 5 Publishing Sweden. registered office: Ekerodsvagen 253, 266 95 Munka Ljungby. +46431441050 email:[email protected] - www.painterstubes.com ptmag- Special Edition 2018.07.30

4 “Artists of the Revolution.” Part One How did the industrial Revolution come about ? ... You could say it was the need to increase productivity for goods to trade with for a growing population. Initially, the energy needed for these goods was provided by manual labour, mules or horses to haul the wood that gave-up it’s stored energy, directly or through the making of charcoal that provided the power to make other things, like smelting metals or firing pottery. Manufacturers also used ‘water driven’ machinery to increase productivity in food production (i.e. bread). And then the most important source of energy of all was unearthed (literally) as the best energy source of all, Coal. This was, by far, the most important of all the energy sources, because it was cheap, plentiful, efficient and England, in particular, had plenty of it. The fact that ‘Coal Power’ greatly expanded the production of goods is unquestionable and it was to change the face of Western Civilisation as much as crude oil did in the latter part of the 20th century. The new energy source, necessitated the further development of machines that could pump water from mines to help remove the water that seeped into mines from deep inside the earth, those mines, at first were important for a source of tin and/or copper and then later coal. This need combined with the even increasingly efficient steam machines that were being developed, which in turn combined with a political policy that allowed entrepreneurs to develop and patent the machines quickly for industry, provided the driving force for the industrial revolution. What also helped was the the ambitious entrepreneurs themselves were free from bureaucratic delays or hindrance from official legal legislation and time delaying rules of approval from Governments. This was particularly true in the UK and it gave impetus for the risk-taking entrepreneurs to invest in the new technologies of their day, far quicker than main land Europe (i.e. France). But it was ‘Coal’ (the original black gold in those days) that provided the vital ‘cheap energy’ source that fanned the raging fires of the Industrial Revolution, a metaphorical fire that is still burning bright in many parts of the world, even today. above: Salford near Manchester. The typical environment for the working classes who lived among the factories, most in extremely poor conditions.

5 The Exposition Universelle -1900 Paris. Machines and inventions for a new century, attracted 50 million visitors. Personal Cameras, post cards and Film were also popular and widely used.The driving goal or the progessive mentality, was greed for ‘profit-first and foremost’ it gave rise to the eliteestablishment of Industrial Barons, who concentrated ‘paid’ workers in purpose built factories which turnedtowns and villages into huge ‘workers’ Cities.Unskilled workers who traded their labour for wages. The workers kept the wheels of industry churningout the Manufactured goods for the home and the export trade. Raw materials and goods were effectivelydistributed by new infrastructures, ones that remade the whole environment, for example the interconnectedPorts by way of Canal and River systems and new Road networks. Homes were built ‘en-masse’ by the‘Barons’ to attract workers to come to the these cities and ‘contract’ them to work for them. Once this massof people enslaved themselves for money and the Barons, then Revolution began in earnest and there waslittle stopping it. The entrepreneurs (and the State) became wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. It was thissystem of unstoppable industrialisation of a country that continues globally, as we can now see in the newcapitalist driven industrialisation of China, India, South America and many more countries that were oncerural and simple. Yet, industrial wealth comes with a heavy and a high social price.In the UK for example by the Victorian period, 1836-1901, and well into the Edwardian era, 1901 to 1914,industrial related disease were at epidemic levels in the new Cities. The killer diseases being typhoidand scarlet fever. They spread rapidly, caused by overcrowding of populations who lived in unsanitaryconditions. Workers had poor nutrition and were generally overworked and their natural resistance to thesediseases were negligible. It was only a few of the many negative spin-off’s of the drive for more profit for theindustrial Barons, who ran and controlled the ‘brave’ new industrialised Britain.Another negative spin off at the alter of ‘money’ was unnatural mortality rates of infants, endured bymothers, and the life expectancy of fathers plummeted sharply. Not to mention genetic mutations, bothconsequences of the out of control industrial pollution of the environment and a direct result of the cynicalcontrolled exploitation of labourers. Which Artists responded to the all powerful Revolution and how did it begin ?

6 Leading up to the the 1700’s, art and artists were more concerned with the accepted, or rather approved subjects, ones that an artist was expected to paint. Classical history paintings were favoured in most of Europe along with Greek inspired classic figurative work, some of which could be used for political ends, this was especially clear towards the end of the 1700’s at the time of the French Revolution. (i.e. La Liberté guidant le peuple ‘Eugène Delacroix). As philosophical and creative thinking progressed the likes of Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin in France and later John Constable and J.M.W. Turner in England, had slowly but surely brought ‘landscape’ from its low status, within the academic elite of the time, to being regarded as a subject in its own right. “Known as the age of Romanticism it was still in it’s early flowering, but there was a definite change to this new ‘art-movement’ from the art that had gone before it.” Romanticism brought with it a desire to create work that showed an emotional response to nature, which meant, for the artists at least, being totally aware of their environment and celebrating it’s beauty. In many ways this had set the framework for the Art of the industrial revolution, a framework that insisted artists to ‘create art’ from both reality and from their own time. Charles Baudelaire, the French writer and poet, who in his seminal book, ‘The Painter of Modern Life.’ (1863) encouraged the young French artists of the day to paint modern subjects. This brought about radical changes to what subject Art should be and how the lives of the ordinary people are as important as the Royal Courts or the lives of Lords and Ladies. This new train of thought was particular suited to ‘painting’ as a new and invigorated ‘art-form.’ When Romanticism was mixed with ‘modern’ life paintings something magical happened. As if on cue to this new way of art-thinking, oil paint was made available in handy transportable metal Tubes. This simple invention (after many failed attempts at a mobile painting system) was brought to the marketplace as late as 1840. The young artists who took advantage of Tubes [of paint] and what was born from it was to be known of as impressionism. Monet, Renoir and Jean Frederic Bazille were the main artists who were eager to follow the in the footsteps of the Barbizon Artists (chiefly, Rousseau, Millet and Daubigny) of Fontainebleu forest fame, and get out into the open air and create new Art from what was their own personal visual response to what was around them, making quick impressions, ones that they received from the nature before their eyes and calling these sketch-like-paintings, finished works of Art. At the time, this was an outrageous and a daring effrontery to the ‘judges’ of the Paris Salon. Manet and Degas both had their part to play in this new way of ‘creative’ thinking, but, in my opinion, neither were ‘impressionists’ in the strict sense of the word, nor were the later artist who was to become seen as ‘the father of modernism’ Cezanne, despite his close association with the three main impressionist painters. Monet had travelled to London in 1899, and it is said that the ‘smog’ of London appealed to him because of the diffused effect the ‘smokey sky’ had on colour and light. This ‘visit’ was to influence a younger artist who was also French, but had the absolute need to seek ‘real’ paid employment in the growing wealthy nation of England. His name was Pierre Adolphe Valette, and unbeknown to him, at the time, he was to have a massive influence on the artists born into the industrial revolution in the smoke filled heartland of the revolution, the North of England.

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8 Valette was born 1876 in Saint Etienne, France. He was enrolled as an Art student at the age of Part Two. fifteen years old at the Ecole Régionale des Beaux Arts. Here he developed his natural ability in “in the beginning...” art, design and engraving. He proved to be an exceptional talent of all of the specialist art skills Pierre Adolphe Valette and seemed destined to become an important contributor to the local small industries of southern 1876 - 1942 France. He moved to Lyon (a large City with employment opportunities) where he supported himself as an engraver. By 1900, (after the important Paris World Fair) he decided to take evening classes at the Ecole Municipal des Dessins de la Guillotiéres in Bordeaux. Whilst working as an engraver during the day. Valette travelled to England in 1904, where he studied at the Birkbeck College (of Art). We can guess that he was following in the footsteps of Claude Monet, who only five years earlier had spent time in London (1899, 1900, 1901 and 1904). Monet seemed enraptured by how the effect the fog and smoke of London dissipated the light and altered colour. Monet’s paintings of the Charing Cross bridge and the Houses of Parliament (1903 & 1904) being exceptional examples. Valette, who was greatly influenced by all the impressionist work (and later the post impressionist), must have been aware of Monet’s extraordinary paintings of London. Valette’s instinct for light, colour and subtle tonal values was the perfect combination for the ‘smog’ laden environment of the UK Cities, (btw: smog is a word invented in 1905 that describes the mixture between fog and smoke). No one quite knows why Valette travelled to Manchester from London in 1905, although an assumption could be made Manchester, was one of the most wealthy Cities of the industrial revolution, and offered an untold opportunity for a young and gifted Artist/ Designer. The City had already gained a nickname of ‘Cottonopolis,’ because of the sheer number of the immense cotton processing mills that were built and nestled between a labyrinth of man made waterways (canals) and rivers. Manchester’s thriving industries welcomed and attracted immigrants from all over Europe, including Ireland, Italy, France, Poland and further East, all of whom were employed by many of the textile manufacturing companies or helped provide the labour for the expansive construction of this ambitious Victorian industrial City. Valette quickly gained employment as a designer for textile labels on his arrival in Manchester. Before too long he enrolled himself, once again as a student, at the Manchester Municipal School of Art.

9 “Roof tops rainy day”- P.A.Valette” However, Valette’s exceptional talents shone and he seemed wasted as a mere student, or sothought the Headmaster of the School of Art and actively encouraged him to apply for the vacant post of Master of Painting and Drawing. Which he did and was appointed as such in around 1906. It was a matter of chance (or perhaps fate) that was to prove to be the most important contribution to the birth of what is now known as, ‘Northern Art’ created by English born artists active throughout the 20th century. One of the major complaints heard throughout the North West English art world, (and still is a perennial complaint to some extent), was or is, the lack of recognition of the Art created by the born and bred English Northern Artists of the 20th century. Those artists that reflected their world around them, as did the impressionists. It could be said that ‘contemporary-serious- art promoters’ are not that interested, as the Northern English artists are merely carrying on a tradition of nostalgia, rather than breaking new art-ground. To some extent that is also true. However, is not the St Ives School doing the same? Yet the attention they have received over the last decades has far outweighed anything in the North. Another point to consider is as far as some of the early ‘original’ Northern artists are concerned, many of them were exploring and developing a totally unique style grounded on knowledge of many different European recognised masters, from abstract expressionism to the new realities of the late 60’s. But it’s worth taking a look at what was happening, in a sort of loose time frame, at the Art World in general from around 1918 to the 1960’s, along side what was being created during the same time period by Northern England based artists.

10 Manchester City Art Museum holds a num- ber of Vallette’s paintings on permanent display. The work on view shows how the artist adopted and recreated in his own style the work of his fellow countrymens impres- sionistic application. On close examination one can also see how he used the carefull precise [vertical] strokework that Cezanne employed to give not only a texture to the painting, but also a deeper reality and the sensations of an etheral quality. Valette was also aware of the work of Whistler [who frequented the cafe Guebois, where the impressionist met for discussion and to give us other encouragement with their new work. Left: “India House.” 1912. Oil on Jute. 1424mm x 861mm Below: “Under Windsor Bridge” 1909. Oil on Jute. 504mm x 611mm

11 Part Three the artists born in the North L.S.Lowry 1887- 1976 One of Adolphe Valette student’s was Laurence Stephen Lowry. If there is a single artist that has made ‘visual’ the Industrial Revolution, then it was surely L.S.Lowry. Like all of Valette’s students, Lowry admitted that he owed a great debt of gratitude to his French Master. His fellows (it is said) found Lowry to be a bit of an oddity. Very tall, thin and a little ungainly. He was reserved and with an awkward social manner, Lowry was not one that gelled well with his classmates. His first serious attempt at painting (a still life of fruit) in 1906, did however show some promise of a talented artist.Although Lowry became disillusioned in his own ability and consequently he told Valette that he wouldnot be continuing with his lessons. Valette visited Lowry’s father personally to ask him to persuade his sonto change his mind as “he saw great promise in him” even though Laurence was his least favourite pupil.Lowry, continued to attend the class and finally accept himself and his Art for what it was, at this time in hislife. Lowry’s home life was complex and much has been written about the adoration he had for his mother.The most complete or in-depth biography was first written in 1979 by Shelley Rohde (a third edition in1999was published by the Lowry Press, Salford UK), which I can recommend as a fascinating insight into anartist that has come to be seen to epitomise an era of history so effectively and so succinct, in purely theartistic term of the simplistic communication of a mood of an era.The first reference of Lowry depicting an ‘industrial scene was around 1916-1917, when he and his familymoved to the working class area of Pendlebury in Salford. It was a simple raw sketch in chalk, which hecalled Mill Scene (see above).

12His families move from a middle class area tothe working class area of Salford (a sister town ofManchester) was to stimulate a series of paintingsthat would eventually rupture the UK’s artistic elitesview of what was and what was not consideredas ‘Fine-Art.’ He certainly couldn’t live on his art,although he tried desperately to gain acceptancefrom the Art Academy and Art Galleries alike.Rejection followed rejection from the onset. Lowrythen decided to ‘keep-quiet’ about his paintingsand he went to great lengths to dissuade inquisitiveinquiries about his art from all incendiary. (i.e.He invented two brothers to hide behind) Lowryfound regular employment as a rent-collector inthe tenements and back streets of working classManchester and Salford.A position he held until his retirement in 1952.This period of isolation from the Art World somehowseemed to give Lowry the freedom to paint exactlywhat he wished and his daytime job fitted inperfectly. He could walk the streets to collect rentsand also make quick sketches of what he waswitnessing. He then would work these sketches intocompositions, many of which were amalgamationsrather than singular depiction’s of a particularscene. Sometimes, however, he would isolate acommon scene or neighbourhood event. It was hislarge paintings of industrial scenes that providesaccurate documentation. And it’s these paintings thatrepresent importance to the eyes of a 21st centurygeneration, whilst simultaneously giving a nostalgicconnection to the older generation.If Valette gave us a poetic face to the industrialrevolution, then it was Lowry, who provided thestark reality of what it was actually like to live amongit. Lowry was a loner, or rather he said he had beenlonely all his life. Yet, he did have a few good friends.It is odd that he kept these friends from knowingabout each other, except from a selected few whowere fellows of the Gabriel Rossetti club, of which hebecame a member when later in life, he managed toacquire original Rossetti paintings, an artist he was anardent admirer of. Slowly he also gained supportersand admirers of his work. And he did sell a few of hispaintings, albeit for relatively paltry sums of money.An exhibition had been promised to him with aLondon Gallery, unfortunately it was in 1939 andas war broke out in Britain the exhibition was dulycancelled. (Ironically, this also happened to Valetteat the same time). Once again fate played a part indenying both of them the recognition they so richlydeserved, For Lowry recognition would have provedto his mother that he had amounted to something,

13as an Artist. And so it was that both he and Valette were to remain sidelined and overlooked for manydecades to follow.(Editors note: In 1961 my art teacher took me to Salford Art Gallery to an exhibition of L.S Lowry. The show, as Irecall, had all the now famous paintings on display. I clearly remember stopping and of them.It wasn’t an industrial scene, but a triple portrait of a father and two sons.Perhaps it enthralled me because I also had a brother and a father and that gave me a special connection to it?I don’t really know. What I do know is that I never forgot this painting and it has stayed with me ever since thefirst day I saw it. I was about 10 years old at the time). Valette was right about his student after all, and “great promise” was finally realised towards the end of his life (as is so often the case in Art). It is perhaps to the English Art Establishments shame that they felt they could not recognise Lowry much sooner, long before he was dead and buried, but I’m pretty sure that Lowry is having the last laugh, even if it is from the other side of existence.L.S. Lowry. 1887 - 1996

14 Harry Rutherford 1903- 1985 The dedicated ‘Rutherford Gallery’ in Hyde, birthplace of the artist, was closed down. The partial bulk of the work of the artist (and his famous hat stand) was transferred to Ashton Central Library/Museum which is located on the second floor of the building. Today Visitor numbers are minimal. Painting shown here is a self portrait known as: “Harry has Toothache.”

15Harry Rutherford born 1903, Hyde, North EastLancashire. He was a man of many talents. His naturalabilities and precise observation with a powerful visualmemory allowed him to employ the knack for makingaccurate and extremely quick sketches. His sense ofgood humour and comedy manifested as drawings ofbrilliant cartoons, he was also an extremely fine painter.He was taught by Adolphe Valette at the eveningclasses of the Manchester School of Art and his fellowstudents included L.S.Lowry and James Fitton. By1925 Harry enrolled in the new Walter Sickert Schoolalong with Forrest Hewit, Maxwell Reekie and HannahRitchie. Under Sickert influence and direct Rutherfordembraced composition and tonal shading. His basis forpainting was ‘realism’ married with acute observationand naturally gifted and superb draughtsmanship.In 1931 he moved to London and by 1936 secured a jobwith the BBC to present a light entertainment programcalled ‘Cabaret Cartoons.’ In 1950 he starred in his ownTV show called ‘Sketchbook.’ He also exhibited hispaintings in various London Art Galleries and was thefirst British Artist to exhibit in Asia (Borneo 1957). Thelist of his artists achievements didn’t stop there. In thelate 1950’s he returned to Hyde and by the early 1960’sbecame the elected President of MAFA (ManchesterAcademy of Fine Arts). He also taught at the RegionalCollege of Art, London. He may well have understoodthat by the 1960’s his time had passed and the ’trend’ inart no longer appreciated ‘drawing’ as the underliningimportant basis for painting, as it did with Degas andWalter Sickert. Below is a extract from his last speech tothe MAFA in 1969.“…just now it is surprising the love there is for Artistsunder 30 and the adoration for those over 80, well yourpresent president was a member of the Academy when under30 so must be regarded as have had his day, at any rate, hada bit of a good run. But now, in his crotchety sixties andneither with nor without what it takes, proposed to retire andleave the arena to the more nimble gladiators; and to sink intoa beautiful coma of philosophic obscurity for about 15 years.Then, when my name is covered with the waters of oblivion,I will try to come back, maybe in North East Lancashire, insome forgotten way besides the springs of Dove - I’ll comeback as Grandpa Rutherford, the new octogenarian primitive,never had a [art] lesson in his life: The ‘heigho’ for BondStreet, the Tate and the Americas and maybe a one man showin Venice..“Rutherford’s paintings are in a host of public andprivate collections including; The Royal Academy,Manchester Art Gallery, The Atkinson Gallery, GalleryOldham, and Rochdale Art Gallery. Around 2008,twenty three years after his death, the TamesideCouncil created a special exhibition space in the Townof Hyde within a renovated building that was namedin his honour, ‘The Rutherford Gallery’ and intendedto celebrate the life and work of this highly respectedartist both in and outside the UK.Sadly that Gallery is now closed and Rutherford’swork is now left on the sidelines, as an importantindustrial revolution artist, whereas L.S Lowry hasrisen to become a Northern born Artist, that is today,internationally acclaimed.

16 Theodore Major - 1908 -1999 “a great individualist in the British art world.” He was an uncompromising born and bred Lancastrian, proud of his provinciality and working- class roots. An artist who totally rejected the commercial gallery system and he did not paint for money or fame. What he hoped to achieve with his paintings, drawings was to to win the attention of ordinary people, especially children. His declared aim in Art was to: “To disturb and extend consciousness in the mind of the viewer” He also declined to sell his paintings... “...not to the people who want them, the rich people”.

17Major was born in Wigan in 1908, and had two brothers and four sisters. His father and mother bothworked in a cotton mill. Theodore left school at 13 and worked in a tailor’s shop, but poor healtheventually led to his losing his job, which plagued him from childhood (as a child he had three boutsof rheumatic fever). Major insisted that he was essentially a self-taught as an artist.He did, in fact, attend evening classes at Wigan Art School, with some life-room experience atSouthport and eventually studied full-time at Wigan School of Art. He also took on some part-timeteaching. In 1952 he founded (and for a few years ran) the Wigan Art Club in a room above theCrofters’ Arms Public House. The small, informal group discussed work created outside of the clubpremises and often chose a specific topic for discussion. It was while he was teaching at the art schoolthat Major met his future wife Kathleen, daughter of a local general practitioner.After they married in 1940, to help support them and their only daughter, Mary, born in 1944.Kathleen taught at an infant school. Around 1950, they settled in Appley Bridge, an area near Wigan,which remained their home for the rest of their lives. Major began to establish a reputation as anartist and he created cartoons for the Daily Mail and the Manchester Guardian. He exhibited withthe Manchester Academy. And with Margo Ingham’s Mid-Day Studios and the Crane Gallery.

18He also exhibited along side his close contemporary L.S.Lowry and had Arts Council-sponsored solo shows at Carlisleand Blackburn Art Galleries.He cited many artists as inspiration but Michelangelo,Rembrandt, Blake, van Gogh and Rouault were of particularinfluence. Major became noted for his grim, Expressionistdepiction’s of Wigan streets and factories, pictures of children,and of characters that he knew personally.He also painted a series reflecting his concern with the atombomb, dropped on Japan in 1945. “a warning and comment on the foolishness and stupidity of modern man”.In rare TV documentaries Major said that he “began to seea great beauty” in the harsh industrial landscape of Wigan.John Berger the well known art critic and supporter of socialrealism, was to say of Major’s work that; “His canvases deserve to rank among the best English paintings of our time,”Major shun publicity. He wrote that he had no ambition tosee his work hanging on stately walls, or in private or publiccollections. He was emphatic that he had no wish to see hispaintings framed in gold, or loved by an admiring public.Instead, he held on to his work and would show it to ‘locals’who called round to his studio come home asked to seethem. Alömost like a public gallery space in a private home.Eventually the work grew in numbers, so much so that hemanaged to buy the house next door and use it as his store.He used a small front bedroom, with a good light, as a studio.Visitors were allowed to call at this private gallery, which cameto contain inumerable paintings. Major was never interestedin courting fame or notriety. Nevertheless, periodically thepress’s spotlight picked him out, as in 1992, when he refusedto pay a poll tax bill of around £1,900. Although he hadalready settled in full for the house he lived in. He declined topay three years’ arrears for the house next door, which he usedas a Art store. Having failed to seize goods in lieu of paymentMajor told the bailiff to “jump in the canal” - the councilapplied to have him committed to prison.When they were given full deatials of the artists age andphysical condition and that he had no savings and lived on thestate pension, the magistrates decided that, in view of his age(85 years old) and personal circumstances- and his ill health, itwould be unwise to sentence him with a jail term. The arrearswould be remitted, so that he would have nothing to pay.

19Theodore Major: “Skeleton and Sun.” -21 inches x 25 inches (500mm x 700mm) Oil on canvas.Now in a Private Collection.Photograph: courtesy of Gateway Gallery, Hale, Cheshire.

20 “painting is my life and Art is my religion.”Despite his reclusiveness, Major’s reputation as an artist grewsteadily. Manchester City Art Gallery has a portrait head byhim, the Turnpike Gallery at Leigh some industrial scenes andSalford Art Gallery, where Major had an important exhibitionin 1984, The ‘Pit at Wigan’ painting featured in the touringexhibition “Facing Coal”curated by the Lancashire MiningMuseum.The full extent of this artists work can only be valued byits sheer originality, amount of work created and a solidphilosophical base that Major rarely strayed away from. Inmany way, from the writers personal point of view, Major’sart has greater sustainability than does L.S Lowry’s work.Major’s paintings are not documentary, as such, but are full oflove for the sheer purity of mind of children measured againstthe brutality of his narrow environment. But, I do believeMajor’s work has far more significance in the 21st centuryand greater direct influence on the way painters ‘think’ aboutArt today, than most of the work by Lowry.Serious medical complaints plagued Major all his life,negating the possibility of military service in the SecondWorld War and interrupting the continuity of his work. “How on earth he lived to be 90 is a miracle.”His daughter stated after the artists had passed away. She also quantified the statement by a profound thought; “He just seemed to gather strength to do what he wanted.”Perhaps, in the end, this was not surprising from the manwho claimed that; painting was his life and art his religion.In his last will and testament it is believed that he expresseda hope that an Art Trust will conserve his huge collection asone bank of work and be kept on show for the public to view(for free). Todate that seems not to have become a reality. Editors note: Tubes magazine acknowledges and thanks for the writings and detailing of Major life by Mr David Buckman. Theodore Major (1908-1999) Footnote: Recently the painting: “Man and Sun” 48 inches x 60 inches (1219mm x 1528mm). oil on canvas by Theodore Major realised £23,750 at public auction , it had been estimated to reach a mere £10,000.

21painters Tubes thanks theGalleries and private col-lections for supplying theimages for this part of thespecial summer feature.In particular to GatewayGallery, Hale, Chehire. Andespecially Sue Eyres, seenhere in the gallery :( photograph to the right)admiring a Theodore Majorclassic painting.

22 William Ralph Turner - 1920 - 2013 written bu Denis Taylor having been first published internationally in 2016 and updated for painters Tubes magazine in 2017 He was born in 1920 in the inner Manchester City area called Gorton, a very working class area of Manchester. His mother (which in later life William discovered was of Jewish decent) died when he was five years old. His Aunt Clara nurtured him from there on in, encouraging him towards becoming an artist with (unproven) stories of how their whole family was related to that most incredible of artists, Joseph Mallord William Turner. The young William Ralph Turner however, had ambitions to become a motor cycle racer, especially after his teacher at school had advised against him attending the Manchester School of Art, judging that William was incapable of drawing straight lines.

23 ©Gateway Gallery, Hale.Unable to afford to buy a motorcycle William settled for a push bike. This passion for bicyclingremained with him for the rest of his life. Painting, on the other hand, was something he ‘justdid’ - He is quoted as saying that... “I don’t enjoy painting really, I just get these visions inmy mind and I have to get them out.” If that was the truth, then the visions must have beencontinuous for William was a prodigious painter.note: I believe William Ralph’s love of art was as deep as his passion for riding a bike. And it is perhapsthe solitude one feels whilst bike riding that allowed his ‘visions’ to materialise in his minds eye, in muchthe same way that all contemporary painters need some form of isolation, if simply to gain the rightconditions for the creative subconscious mind to become activated.He left school when he was 14 years old and as a young man William did odd jobs to makeends meet until he was drafted into the army (as a clerk in 1939). He left the British Armywith the rank of sergeant and it was the Army that gifted him a ‘grant’ to attend an ArtSchool located in Derby (East Midlands UK). He then found a job working for a photographicretouching company in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. It was probably here (perhaps through therepetitive painting of photographs) that he became self confident about his own ability. At thesame time he took an adult course in the art teacher training program at a local college. After aperiod as a part-time art teacher, he was eventually appointed as a full time Art Teacher withinan Independent secondary School, just south of the City of Manchester (Hulme Hall School).Around this period he came into contact with other local artists of Manchester and Salford City.They would meet up in City centre exhibition galleries, the locally infamous Yates’ Wine Lodge(bar) and sometimes at the home of L.S.Lowry. William’s circle included the young up andcoming painters, the likes of; Alan Lowndes, John Bold, Harold Riley and Brian Bradshaw,being part of an ‘unofficial-boys-gang’ of Northern Artists.note: It’s also very interesting that these same painters are now sought after by collectors in the UK and onthe world wide art collectors alert notices of the on-line auction houses).

24William enjoyed some success in this early period withlocal exhibitions in Manchester City centre, Stockport andKnutsford (Cheshire) all arranged by Peter Burdett. By 1971Burdett had opened a fine art gallery in Knutsford (PitcairnGallery), which later was run by Wendy Levy, another wellknown gallerist in Manchester. William exhibited here from1971 to 1983. He also persuaded L.S.Lowry to sit for a portrait,perhaps the only portrait that has ever been created from a‘Lowry’ live sitting (painted in 1974 only two years beforeLowry passed away).At that, it appears to many that William Ralph Turner seemsto have passed away himself, or at best his work was ignoredby most of the major Northern art galleries and certainlyby the established London based galleries. The attitude inthe Capital it seems was, “..we have one of those Northernpainters in L.S. Lowry, why should we bother with another?..”How wrong they were.It was to be two decades before William Ralph Turner’s workwould be resurrected by a charming and insightful art dealerfrom a gallery in the heart of the Northern English Pennines,Todmorden Fine Art run by Mr David Gunning.It was 22 years before a retrospective was finally organisedat a Lancashire provincial town’s council gallery (GalleryOldham, Lancashire in 2005) where all the work shown wasloaned by a few inspired private collectors.Most collectors of Turner tend to go for the ‘iconic work’which is mainly of that amazing Victorian built viaduct in thecentre of Stockport town (Cheshire, UK) .I was lucky to be invited to the largest collection of Turner’swork of a private collector. What struck me was the figurepaintings. These works were spectacular in their originality,yet in keeping with all the great art works of the Europeanexpressionists that are so treasured throughout the world.I’m talking here about Edvard Munch, Emil Nolde, ChaimSoutine, Ernst Kirchner and the like. It is Turner’s figurepaintings that separates and absolutely distinguishesW.R.Turner from L.S.Lowry and to some degree TheodoreMajor (and all the followers of Lowry since he died in 1976).W.R.Turner took expressionism to another level andthen made it his own in a uniquely and quintessentialnorthern English manner. Much of the figure work also hasa delightful humour imbued within it which only increasesthe visual pleasure. Top: Photograph Dave Gunning outside his Gallery Bottom: W.R.Turner with a collector at the 2003 Oldham Gallery Solo Exhibition.

25©private collection.©private collection. ©private collection. images examples of Figurative expressionist abstracts - all now in private collections.

26The people of the North and the environment ofthe industrial City had made it’s mark on WilliamRalph Turner in much the same way it had on theexceptionally poetic work of that French Impressionistwho painted Manchester in the 1900’s.It is this ‘artistic-effect’ of the industrialised City thatis so unique and why W.R.Turner’s work should be ina UK National Art Gallery Collection, in my opinion.At the very least it should hang side by side next toL.S.Lowry’s work in the gallery of theLowry Centre in the North West of the UK.The W.R.Turner collectors that I had to good fortuneto visit and witness the depth of Turner’s work said asmuch.The only thing stopping them be-questing their entirecollection to the Nation was the fear that the workwould be locked away in a cellar, in much the same thatthe Tate locked away 23 large paintings of industrialSalford scenes by L.S.Lowry for many years, beforebeing embarrassed (by the media) to put them onpermanent display ©private collection. “of all the work of W.R.Turner, for me the ©Gateway Gallery, Hale.most important are the figurative abstracts” (Denis Taylor Artist and Editor of Tubes. above image ‘The piano player.” (©Private Collector)

27©private collection. ©private collection.Turner created over a thousand paintings, shown here is only a small selcetion, with grateful thanks to Gateway Gallery Hale, Cheshire, Knutsford Auction House and a Private Collector for the image [example] files supplied to Tubes.

28 ©Gateway Galley ROGER HAMPSON 1925 - 1996 If there is one artist who can fairly be described as fundamental to Northern Art, then it is the Tyldesley born Roger Hampson, who created a body of work of considerable importance. Roger Hampson was born in Tyldesley, Lancashire and studied along with Paul Keen and Norman Jaques at Manchester College of Art from 1946-1952. His teaching career encompassed Hereford School of Art (1953-4), Bolton College of Art and Design, where he eventually became principal (1961-7) and Principal of Loughborough College of Art and Design (1978-86).  He was a fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers. He took part in more than 100 group shows and 30 solo exhibitions such as Tib Lane Gallery, Manchester, from 1963. The Salford based Lancashire Mining Museum held a memorial show along with Manchester Art House in 1996. Hampson was not painting “commercial” pictures in any modern sense of the word, nor was he in the first rank of technicians.  

29©private collector Throughout his career, Hampson was drawn to painting the people he met on the streets of northern towns. From his childhood bedroom window the artist could see the nearby collieries and the imposing bulk of Caleb Wright’s No. 6 Mill on Shuttle Street. He remembered Johnson Street as “…an exciting place to live in those days for the road was always busy with horse-drawn carts rattling to and from the goods yard.”  This is the essence of Hampson’s impact – he was motivated to paint a landscape and way of life that he knew was fast disappearing. His paintings capture the bleakness of the industrial northern landscape as well as the warmth and humour of its people.A book on his life and work entitled “Roger Hampson – a lost landscape” was published in April 2009 to coincide with a retrospective exhibition at The Gallery Oldham (Oldham, Lancashire UK) Roger died from leukaemia in 1996. images: Left and the Front Cover of this issue. : Maerdi Colliery. Oil on board. 24 inches x 18 inches. available at Gateway Gallery Hale, Cheshire. www.gateway-gallery.co.uk. image above: “stretcher Bearers” 9inches x 10 inches Oil on board. ©Private collection

31Berry surveying a mural with fellow students. Burslem Art School 1942 “Having a Pee” by Arthur BerryOver time he worked on his art whilst lecturing at the Burslem School of Art and rising to the head offine art for Stoke on Trent and then head of fine at newly formed North Staffs Polytechnic in 1971.Arthur Berry became a firm favourite recording the Potteries life whether in paint, poem, or play, orin his most immediate form, monologue which he practiced in the public houses to muchamusement of the Potteries locals. Blessed with a rich tone of voice and sense of observationalhumour he enjoyed being the subject of many recordings on both radio and TV, however his success stayedmostly within the region during his life which may well have been due to developingagoraphobia. This did not stop him working thankfully, he arranged to be escorted to the safety ofbuildings, including nightly visits to the public houses of Burslem where inhabited the characters heso wanted to capture in paint.A Chance Meeting - The relaunch of Arthur Berry’s work in 2012In 2012 I had a chance meeting with a friend of the Estate of Arthur Berry. We organised for some ofArthur’s work to be displayed at the gallery in Burslem for a show of studio pottery that opened thatFriday night. They all sold immediately on the night without any promotion. We then set about torelaunch the work of Arthur Berry with the estate to the locals and to a wider audience. Over thistime the gallery has staged a number of exhibitions, poetry readings, publications, and CD and DVDmedia re-releases. Selling and reselling many of Arthur’s paintings.He worked mostly in mixed media although some rare oil paintings do exist from the 1960’s. Heworked large at first, heavily laying paint, trying to find that essence of the subject. His work isexpressive, he wanted you to feel the subject not see it. However, Arthur had an urgency to getdown the subject and with his one arm oils became messy and a burden, his wife describes how hedropped one on his toes and decided to send them all to the local tip. In 2018 his oils were reaching£6K+. Moving to mixed media paintings would allow Arthur to experiment with texture and surface andmarkings, using art materials with a bit of coal-dust thrown in no doubt.His work was authentic to the core. His mixed media paintings now sell at the gallery for up to £3000depending on the subject and size.“Chain Row” “the little Gardener

32 above: the official poster for the Lowry and Berry exhibition in 2015- 2016 In 2015-2016 Arthur Berry was recognised with a major show of his work alongside LS Lowry at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, titled Lowry and Berry: Observers of Urban Life. The show was launched to much acclaim. Arthur’s work was also televised on the BBC Antiques Roadshow on which the expert declared his work akin to the Pitman Painters of Durham and LS Lowry to Salford that Arthur Berry is as important to the Potteries, and if you are not collecting Arthur Berry you should be. This expert declaration showed Arthur Berry to be a firm contributor to the Northern School of Art and one of the best at that. Often nicknamed the Lowry of The Potteries, the show in 2016 with LS Lowry showed Arthur’s work to be stand alone. Looking at Arthur’s work you can see that he is interested in the human element of the Northerner, versus Lowry’s distant observation of the Northern crowds spilling out of the Mills. Arthur Berry is Arthur Berry after-all. For more information about Arthur Berry artwork and exhibitions please contact Barewall Gallery. Tel: 01782 258 843 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @barewall Web: barewall.co.uk Address: Barewall Gallery, 2-4 Market Place, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 4AT, UK. left:”end terrace” - above: Discussing the ‘unemployables’ painting on BBC Antigues Roadshow.

33John Thompson 1924 - 2011 John Thompson was born into poverty and an economically depressed Oldham, North Manchester, in 1924. As the only surviving son past infancy, John was expected to leave school at 14 and start “bringing some money in”. He worked in a variety of jobs for the next four decades, whilst continuing to indulge his passion for painting. Later in life and after spending five years as an adult at art evening classes, studying life drawing, John found himself facing redundancy (at the age of fifty six). The choice left open to him was, starting a new job and or a new direction afresh. He decided1. it was time to follow the path of Art, and become a full time artist. Eventually he secured a studio at the Alexandra Centre in Uppermill, Lancashire. It was here that Castlegate Gallery first encountered John and his work in 1994. John finally achieved both commercial and critical success, and no more so than in the last ten years or so of his life. He had numerous successful solo exhibitions, ranging from Manchester, Falmouth and London, with his work being purchased by the House of Lords (now hanging in the Committee Rooms). A book covering John’s life and work, entitled John Thompson “Do you like ‘em then” was published in 2006. His work sits alongside the likes of Indutrial Revolution artists such as; Alan Lowndes, Theodore Major. The artist died aged 87 on July 2011.2 Acknowledgements: Words: (extract) the John Thompson biography from Castlegate House Gallery. for more information go to: https://castlegatehouse.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1900 822149 Mobile: +44 (0)7920 836874 image #1 Group Series 2516. Castlegate House Gallery. for more information go to: https://castlegatehouse.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1900 822149 Mobile: +44 (0)7920 836874 image #2: Colourfield Gallery, Poynton, Cheshire (specialises in the Northern and Contemporary Art). For more information go to: www.colourfieldgallery.com Tel: +44 (0)1625 875821 image #3: (Group Series of work 1017) Clark Art Ltd, Hale Cheshire. For more information go to: www.clark-art.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)161 929 5150 Mobile:+44 (0)7973 7556803.

34 Russell Howarth Born in 1927- written by Denis Taylor, extracts from an interview in 2017 I visited Russell Howarth (in early July 2017) And I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see. I knew he had just had a one man show (special exhibition at Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery UK) to celebrate his ninetieth birthday. However, I had never seen his work in real life. After chatting for quite some time about his life-long painting experiences which included his discussions at Saddleworth Art Gallery organised ‘talks’ with all the UK legend artists, L.S.Lowry, Theodore Major and William Ralf Turner. And the storyof how he became a painter of landscapes, all ofwhich are purely based in and around his hometerritory of Oldham and Saddleworth, he finally asked if I would like to see a few paintings. Which, I have to say, was an understatement. We climbed the narrow stairs of his home where, on the bed, was laid out paintings of various sizes. They were also at the side of the bed, underneath the bed and in cupboards. He then opened a large chest of drawers that were full (drawer after drawer) of the most wonderful black and white drawing “those are my just sketches.” He said, which was an even bigger understatement. ©R.Howarth

35From that bedroom we walked to the ‘other’ bedroom(one of two) which had built in wardrobes (probablyfrom the 1970’s). He opened each door individuallyand inside the paintings were laid one on top ofanother from the floor of the furniture to the top.This went on door after door after door. I had neverseen so many paintings (of a single subject matter) inone place and at one time.We took quite a number of them out from the ©R.Howarthcupboards and looked at each one. The striking partabout them was the consistency of colour, light andcomposition. After a while I began to see why hehad become so focused on the Northern landscape- because, not unlike Paul Cézanne, the subject wasactually secondary and the light effects and paintapplication was foremost.I began to think of Maurice Utrillo small paintings ofvillages in France, except Russell’s paintings were byfar superior in both execution and strength of feeling.I realised that I had to write about this artist, and indepth to bring the public’s attention to this painter andhis life long work.This small introduction of his work (visit issue #5 tosee more of Russels work) is but a mere foretaste ofthe incredible work he has created since, before andafter 1954. He had a new sketch on the go for anotherpainting whilst I was in his home, and he says of that..“…it may be my best one yet.”I do hope to write not just an essay on his Art, but a Photograph:book on his life, the artists he knew and of course his ©Marianne Arnberglife’s long work. Any interested parties should contact above: Russell talking about his Art with painters Tubes Editorme as soon as possible through Tubes magazine and Artist Denis Taylor (reflected in mirror)on [email protected] to discuss the production anddistribution for this amazing Painter of not onlylandscapes but totally authentic and original art. ©R.Howarth©R.Howarth

36 Harold Riley- born 1934 - Few artists have so ©Harold Riley affectionately portrayed their home city as Harold Riley – the Salford born painter and Slade School graduate who, in almost 70 years as an artist, has dedicated a goodnumber of his canvasses to the city of his birth. And whileLowry was clearly a big influence on Riley, it was growingup with his photographer father that really opened young Harold’s eyes at an incredibly early age to the power of art. Despite Riley’s passion for Salford and it’s unique environment, it isn’t really his paintings of Salford that have made Riley most famous. He’s a respected portrait painter, having been commissioned to capture Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, several popes and a couple of international presidents, including John F Kennedy and Nelson Mandela. (extract from Sarah Walters feature in the Manchester Evening News. 3/05/2013) Geoffrey Key - Born 1941 - Towards the completion of ©Geoffrey Key his formal academic studies in the 1960s, Key embarked forms have their origin in the field shapes upon a period of intensive creative study, which was he created during that metamorphic series. to underpin the evolution of his unique, prolific and boundlessly imaginative artistic expression. Geoffrey He moved from landscape to painting Key... “I wanted to paint one subject continuously monumental horses, unlike any other for long periods of time and so for twelve months equestrian works these riders and their chargers are the stuff of fantastic dreams. I painted this hill in Glossop (The Whitley Nab, A central aspect of his work and an integral Derbyshire) and produced about six hundred theme from the beginning, is the human figure. words: extract from biography by Clark Art Ltd. Hale drawings, watercolours and oils is what I ended up with was I think.” Cheshire. www..clark-art.co.uk During the time of painting the Nab, Glossop, his purpose was to shed all external influences and to discover his own artistic language. His human figure

37photograph: © Lee Harrison photography Dave Coulter Born 1947 -Dave Coulter is a genuine ‘old school’ Northerner with a deep love for his City, one that is clearly reflected inhis work. at the age of 64 years old. David has been engrossed with Art and painting from childhood, but it washis first major exhibition at the Zion Arts Centre in Manchester that revealed his depth of talent to the City ofManchester and Salford.He has been painting street scenes for almost half a century and it was his habit of setting up his ‘spots’ invarious parts of the busy City, having first gained a ‘nod and wink’ from the police that it was OK for him toleave his van in the street (without fear of getting booked), that led to his first exhibition. A local Police officer,whilst on duty, (PC Dave Vose) on seeing David’s paintings, contacted Saskia Metcalf of the Lion centre andsuggested she put on a show for him. It was a sell out and second exhibition followed quickly at an establishedhigh street gallery. He told me how his father was the source of his love of art and how a child he was taken toart galleries with exhibitions and was encouraged to draw and paint. “my dad made sure I had the basic’s right and used to make me draw things over and over again if he thought I had got the drawings wrong.”David was born and raised on the same street as Arthur Delaney (Clifford Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock),another renown Manchester artist who was always ‘popping in’ to the Coulters’ home. “He was rum one, andthe stories told about him are all true.” David said with a broad smile on his face. Dave paints in a very fastimpressionistic manner, yet for me his work avoids to much similarity with impressionism, as his colour palettereflects a more late modernist approach.He loves all forms of Art - abstraction, surrealism, expressionism and even some more exploratory forms ofpainting. He recalled how he was bowled over by Rauschenberg’s work in the late 1960’s, which sort of openeda door to his understanding that in Art - “anything and everything is possible.” David also loves to giveyounger artists advise, should they ask for it.

38 Dave spends a great deal of time with youngsters showing them how to ground the canvas to obtain greater depth and form. Some of his early paintings e.g. ‘Wakes Fair’ and ‘Jubilee Party’ that show a definite nod in the direction of L. S. Lowry, whilst say, ‘Factory Chimneys’ leans towards Theodore Major, an artist who Dave visited and chatted with about Art. “He didn’t like the men in suits, didn’t Major. When they come up from London to try and get some of his work, he wouldn’t sell them anything and tell them to bugger off, in no uncertain terms.” “70 years in the making” was a major solo exhibition of Dave Coulter’s the work was mounted and curated by Cheshire Art Gallery in Bredbury Cheshire, UK and was a personal triumph for David. The title reflected the simple truth of what lies behind Dave’s paintings, that it was his birthplace that he developed a deep love and respect for. It may well be that his ‘love of place’ was not so much because the bricks and mortar of the buildings that built the Cities of the industrial Revolution, but the warmth, depth of kindness and sincerity of all the people that inhabited them. The City buildings of Manchester and Salford are clearly but a catalyst that enables the artist to visualise the very human connection to the North of England, in his own unique way. David’s work is sought after by discerning collectors and is represented and exhibits his latest work at a most insightful gallery Cheshire Art Gallery in Bredbury, Cheshire. To view more of Dave Coulter’s work go to: www.cheshireartgallery.co.uk images: all© David Coulter - They show the depth and extent of Dave’s art, from earliest work (top and bottom right) to more recent work (c2017) centre images.

39 Part Four a second industrial Revolution...for painters?Extracts from the article ‘painting for our century’ originally written in three parts by Denis Taylor, (Tubes Editor), during 2016 for the international Art Market MagazineThere are many artists, in particular painters, that maintain a connection to the original grouping ofwhat today can be seen as the ‘original’ Northern School artists. Many of the living artists in the Northseem to have been gathered together by association of subject matter rather than a ‘School’ as such. Theirrepresenting Galleries inclination is to marry the work of the painters of the past mixed with displaysof the painters of today. Commercial Galleries seem to favour the artists that, although depicting todaysNorthern environment, do so in a way that can be easily seen by visitors as connected both to thepainters and the landscape of the North of the past. A new consistant flow of a popular subject matter. ©Dean EntwistleNorthern English commercial galleries rarely , it seems exhibit new worksthat are, what you could call, ‘risk taking works of art ’ or ‘exploratory’contemporary art work. Which is quite the opposite standpointof private art galleries take on contemporary art on mainland Europeor in the United States, or indeed in London.There are exceptions to this general observation of course, andperhaps a few artists and now a handful of commercial Galleries(in the North of the UK) do take a risk with exhibiting challenging orexploratory Art. Many Northern English based painters believe thatthey are Artists first and foremost and that they just happen to beresident (or born) in the North of England. More so than a wishto be labelled as following a ‘Northern Art’ discipline.That is according to one or two of them that I have had contact.photograph: Contemporary Six Gallery, Manchester. painting: Manchester St Peters Square. ©Dean EntwistlePainter, Dean Entwistle explores all subject matter, both figurative and abstract, through the medium of tempera

40 It is also a possibility that the reputation and current commercial popularity of the past (by the recognised Northern Artists) are holding todays artists back from developing their own vital and dynamic creative impulses? Many present day painters elect to create paintings which are derived (by subject matter, if not the same style) from the art that is now a familiar image to most gallery goers in the North of England, and the collectors of images of the streets, the buildings, old and new, and the landscapes of the cities and towns with an industrial heritage. However for me, the continuation of painting the old factory buildings (now decaying) or the destruction of them, or the erection of the new buildings, or the renderings of current City landscapes in an impressionistic, semi-abstract, or photorealistic stylised imagery, remains an art of nostalgia or documentation. Rather than an art imbued with exploration asa way of discovering an art for the twenty first century. Doesn’ta new century signal a time for new direction? I for one believe it does. Yet, many will quote the; “everything in painting has been done before” statement to defend the repetition of creating the same subject matter. I truly believe the statement to be euphemism used for the avoidance of the tackling the direct challenge of exploration of visual art to living artists. Emulation, repetitive stylisation, transcriptions of old compositions or of subject concepts, is all todays painters can be expected to produce, some say. I guess it is, but only if an artist accepts and embraces the last century Post Modernist dogma. A dogma that professed, as one of its core philosophies, that the objective of Contemporary Art is to translate the Art of thepast, making it understandable by updating it and remodelling it for the a new generation. As a painter myself, I question the Artistic integrity of that sort of Post Modernist thinking. Let alone the sustainability or any new inspiring dynamic art, one that contributes positively to a new century of artworks. Art that can go some way to represent this new century of technical innovation and the changes in values of the post industrial society. Many people believe we are in the second or fourth industrial revolution, this time, it’s Bits and Pixels and a Computer Chip’s processing power that is the lubricant pushing humanity into new areas of understanding of “who we are, where we come from and where we are going.”Contemporary Artists (who have chosen painting as a preferredart medium), had been kept in the shadows somewhat, over thelast few decades, mainly by the dominance of Post Modernism, or Conceptual Art, or Installationism, video & ‘performance Art.’ And of course the rise in the Contemporary Art World of the power of the ‘Artist-Curator. A new type of ‘art-graduate’ who merely thinks ‘Art’ and uses the work of others to demonstrate a ‘theory’- sic: one that states it is not the ‘quality’ of Art made – but how it is ‘exhibited.’ that denotes Art as ‘vital.

examples of artists 41from the North onthis page The resurgence of Painting as an ‘Art form’ and not merelyabove: Steve Capper a decorative image to hang in ones new modern apartment,left: Steven Heaton is continuing to experience something of a minor renaissance, especially outside of the UK, the exception being London, which is still an international centre for cross pollination of new Art ideas and movements. I have seen little evidence to suggest that this is the case with the present majority of artists associated with Northern Art, with the exception of a number of artists who have embraced ‘research’ and take risks as a important part of their painting process. The inheritors of the ‘artists of the Revolution’ (sic: Northern English based artists), in general, seem reluctant to engage with a ‘new-renaissance in painting’ - At least on the face of it, or rather according to what is shown in the commercial galleries of Manchester and other provisional Cities and towns in the North of England, at least from what I have seen, implies that that is the case. This may go, in part, to explain why so many of the current Artists of the North (of England) have sought a well trodden path or safe image subject matter, one that despite intentions to the contrary, is still connected, however remotely, to those ‘brave’ Northern English’ past masters who went their own way, eventually becoming respected for their unique, authentic and important view of the decline of the industrial revolution and the social and political consequences of over 250 years of irresponsible environmental concern, in favour of financial gain, power and global dominance. Now it’s all about ‘nostalgic- images’ that will sell to a public that remembers the ‘sunny-days’ and not the lung cancer inducing smog days. It seems to me, that much of the current modern industrial scenes that is shown in the high street galleries today are pale in comparison with the L.S. Lowry, W.R. Turner, Theodore Major, and the other Northern based artists of the past, whose work, at the time, was passionate, raw, dynamic and challenging for a viewer, perhaps because it was a removal from the then art worlds status quo of what was ‘trending’ at the time or being pushed by the ‘big’ London art galleries. Acknowledged Northern ‘School’ Artist that are still alive, i.e. Harold Riley, Geoffrey Key, Russell Howarth, Dave Coulter, and maybe even Steve Capper, create paintings today which as unique to their own experiences outside of the Northern Art scene, rather than central to it. Geoff Key in particular is widely praised for his paintings that are painted with a sculptors and a painters eye. Geoff Key’s teacher was a professor of sculpture more so than painting at the Slade School in London. And his ‘style’ gives a chiselled-out feel to them. His work showing the confidence of paint application and colour understanding that can only be acquired after many years of dedicated exploratory work.

42 examples of an artist from the North on this page is by: ©Colin TaylorMaybe the vacuously named ‘Northern Art School’ of painters, one that, it is said, began so long ago under the inspiration ofValette, should really now be considered as well and truly over. And the ‘genre’ be allowed to become part of the UK’s visual arts rich history and laid to rest, at least more so than it seems to be at the present. Much in the same way Impressionism is considered as ‘well-over’ as a way of painting, certainly post 1926 when Monet finally passed away having created theultimate canvas in his long mission (1914-1926) to complete his impressionistic apotheosis. Like all the great Artistic leaps of the 20th century, todays artists can gain from what was achieved before. Indeed, we are blessed with accurate historical documents that is widely available on the internet, information that can and should broaden ‘artists thinking, as much as travelling to other countries and experiencing other cultures has. Today, Artists have more possibilities to travel the world thanat any other times in history. However, many do not and many more tread the ‘path’ of the seventhieth century century by only visiting Venice or the like. Yet the work that the original ‘Artists of the Industrial Revolution’ produced is of course are exceptional, but the thoughts and attitudes of them and what they believed in and lived by, (in their own words) is of equal importance to help a contemporary painters path of self-discovery, at least it is for me. Whilst visiting the North of England, my birthplace, on a regular basis, over the last five years, I have to say that most of the work created by living artists, those that I have viewed, was ‘good to look at’. And obviously created by gifted Artists. My critic was, and still is, aimed at the lack of variation ofsubject or innovation of exploring possibilities of painting as an art form, more so than it is of quality of the work. Even so, my eyes were a little biased towards some of the work, as many of the artists (especially in the Manchester area galleries) actually attended the same Art School as ‘I’. [sic: Manchester High School of Art]. I guess, had I notspent time travelling around Europe and some time in the USA discussing ‘Art’ and collaborating with Artists from around the globe, then I could easily have been tempted to painting canvas’s based solely on my home City. The example of the images shown in this article, should give the reader a brief glimpse or an idea into the present range of work of just a few of the painters who now live and work in the Northern areas of England But what about the Future ?“The totally new environment being created today in the Cities of the old Industrial Revolution will, like the past, be symbiotic of how the future of Art may possibly look.”

43It is more probable that future artists will have a far broaderattitude to art. Maybe this attitude will be more related to thecurrent dynamism that the major Cities are now experiencing,especially with a new cultural vision firmly integrated withadvanced technological linked with the creative industries.These new industries have replaced the heavy engineering andproduct manufacturing base of the past.The UK is undergoing something of a political renaissance atthe moment too. Governmental Policies of decentralisation(from London) and transferral of decision making given backto local City governments is one step in the right direction.Another has been the long process of re-generation, which hasbeen ploughing ahead since the late 1980’s and continues togather pace (apart from a stall during the 2008 global financialcrash). That decentralisation policy is quickly beginning tohave an effect with a complete change of the environment.New cultural projects such as the “St Johns Neighbourhood,”in Manchester, embraces both new contemporary buildingarchitecture with and purpose designed centres for visual art,drama and music.Organisations and artists are forming new groups to pursuesocial events that have public awareness at their core tohighlight the under represented and the struggling peoplewho need a helping hand. One of these events was held inManchester, last month - “Cities of Hope Event” - A globalproject that gathers ‘street artists’ to create huge murals onthe areas that have not yet been improved in cities around theworld. Gifted and well known artists are invited to participate,both home grown artists, and from European and non-European countries. Independent art groups are also on theincrease. Collaboration is the buzz word within ‘open-door’exhibitions in the vast spaces that are still available in the‘Cotton-Mills’ of the industrial revolution, the ones that are, orwill be, ‘modified’ specifically for artist studio’s and exhibitioncentres (at a low rent).‘Pop-up art exhibitions’ or ‘For Hire Artists Gallery Spaces’are also increasing (more so in London than in the Northat the moment) but again this allows the opportunity forcontemporary (painters) to show their stuff without theeditorial eye of a high street commercial gallery.The sheer amount of good, excellent and outstanding Artistsnow working in the North West of England is still untapped, itseems to me. And it is clear that the more ‘Now’ the NorthernCities become, the more the ‘young and ambitious artists’will be attracted to them, not only from the UK, but from theEuropean mainland and beyond.Not unlike when that young French Impressionist did when hetravelled to Manchester in 1905 (Pierre Adolphe Valette).and thus inspired his students to paint what they saw, withfeeling. I guess history does have a way of repeating itself.

44 Art and History does repeat itself that is for certain, but it must surely be with an ‘Art for its time’, or an ‘Art of it’s time’ - with at least one eye focused on the future. I am unashamedly proud of my Manchester heritage, but I am also delighted that I no longer have to live and create with the remnants of a time when the power for society was a lump of black rock (coal). One that when consumed by fire, produced an environment where I could no longer breath the air that surrounded me. For me personally, being born in the 1950’s, the past holds no ‘beautiful’ or ‘poetic images’ nor any fond or nostalgic value. However, the dedication and determination to go their ‘own way’ by those early Northern artists who chose their path to follow whatever the outcome would ensue, is for me the only lasting example to emulate. Thankfully, the ‘New (industrial) Revolution’ is happening faster today than ever - And it is so much better and cleaner than the last one, that began in earnest in the North of England in the late 18th century. Maybe specific paintings of the current Northern environment is all well and good, and perhaps they do have a part to play in remembering the bad old industrial revolution, but is it necessary to continue to call all todays paintings ‘Northern Art´? And the painters Northern Artists? Is that a ‘tag’ of real importance? Should we not just view the work offered, enjoy it, buy the work, if one loves it, and encourage everyone, including the Galleries, to simply call all new visual art today...” paintings for our century. “ Original Article ‘Painting for our Century’. was written in 2016 by Denis Taylor- “Revolution- Art & Artists Series of essays” ©2016 Edited for painters Tubes magaine “Artists of the Revolution” Summer Special Edition ©painterstubes-2018 examples of artists from the North on this this page left:: ©The Maclain Crew Top page 45. ©Nicolas Eddershaw Below pages 44/45 - ©Liam Spencer

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46 examples: artists from the North on this page: Top Left. ©Ian Norris. Top right: ©Richard Fitton. Bottom left: ©Shaun Smyth

47 examples of artists from the North on this this page above: ©Ian Moodbottom: ©Bruce Lyons

48 “Artists of the Revolution” A special summer edition of painters Tubes magazine 2018. There are many artists that we have not been able to feature in this edition, due to the lack of page space available, however Tubes will be publishing features on these other fine artists, [some living some not], during the course of the upcoming issues in 2019 We hope you enjoyed reading this issue, and as always, we welcome any comments or suggestions you may have. Printed versions will be available of this issue free to read in the Manchester Central Library (from 8th August) and you can buy a printed version for £8 +pp. email: [email protected] painting: “Acid Trip” (Agecroft Power Station ) by ©Denis Taylor c.1986- oil on board