In the second instalment of our new series entitled Painting the North, Ant Cosgrove, the man behind The Northern Art Page on Facebook, continues to share striking works of art, sketches and drawings from around The North.
As the weeks progress, Ant will bring you his image of the week from the popular social media page. This week’s work is Sam Walsh’s masterpiece from 1980, The Dinner Party (Collection of The Walker Gallery).
Ant says: “I attended a private view last Friday evening (23rd June) for the launch of a new exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead, Liverpool. The show, called The Dinner Party: Of Time and Place, is based around five of the painters who were dinner guests in the original painting, and whose own work made an indelible mark on the Liverpool art scene from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. The five painters whose work features are: Arthur Ballard, Maurice Cockrill, Adrian Henri, Don McKinlay and Walsh himself.
The Liverpool art scene was far more outward looking than that of its near neighbour, Manchester. In fact, it is this vast chasm of difference, far wider than the 30 miles that separates the two cities, that I find the most interesting aspect of this exhibition. Via these five painters, Liverpool looked to London, to Paris, to New York for inspiration. Over the decades, moving from figurative, to abstract, to pop art, looking at modern movements and techniques as well as masters from the past. Liverpool is a port town, with its docks a historic gateway to the world, always looking away from the city and bringing back the new.
Inland Manchester was the opposite, Manchester looked inwards. Inwards at its people, it’s buildings and industry, and most of all, from the 1950’s onward, Manchester had a figurehead that Liverpool did not, it had L.S. Lowry. Lowry was a a huge influence on many painters who decided that they too would create works based around the spirit of their hometown. The local Manchester Guardian was a constant champion of painters who looked to local sources for inspiration.
The Williamson exhibition has been beautifully curated and it was a rare joy to see such a large amount of works from private collections on display. Highlights include everything by the sublime Don Mckinlay, especially The Arnolfini Marriage (c.1963) and Landscape Abstraction (1959) by Arthur Ballard.
The exhibition is not to be missed and is on now until the 3rd September 2017.”
Information about the painting
The painting depicts (left hand side, from the front):
1. Ray Hudson, artist’s neighbour;
2. David Berry, artist’s solicitor;
3. Nish (Christine) Ridpath;
4. Arthur Ballard, ex-boxer and painter;
5. Lesley Walsh, artist’s ex-wife;
6. Joe Martingdale;
7. Artist himself;
8. Mike Carran, artist’s bank manager;
9. Stanley Haddon, Liverpool Philharmonic clarinettist;
10. Luke Walsh,artist’s son;
11. Don Craig, ex-teacher and Liverpool Councillor.
(right hand side, from the front):
12. Susannah Lash, artist’s friend;
13. Billy Wellings, artist’s friend;
14. Adrian Henri, poet and painter;
15. Ros McAlister, with whom artist was living;
16. Roger McGough, poet;
17. Artist himself;
18. Maurice Cockrill, painter;
19. Jim Weston, sculptor;
20. Don McKinlay, painter;
21. McKinlay’s partner Jani;
22. Sheena McKinlay, Don’s daughter;
23. Spud Nolan, artist’s friend.
williamsonartgallery.org(Please note the gallery is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
www.facebook.com/thenorthernartpage; ant.cosgrove@gmail.com
