The Pitmen Painters and a brief dawn by Dennis Hamley
Two weeks ago we went to the Oxford Playhouse to see a touring production of The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall. It was brilliant. It blew us away and I've been thinking about it ever since. You'll know the situation. In 1935 a group of working men in Ashington had been attending a WEA class on Evolution but weren't satisfied with it so turned to Art Appreciation instead. A tutor arrived from Newcastle, Robert Lyon. He started by showing slides of Old Masters, which didn't please his audience so, out of desperation, he suggested they should produce their own art, starting with lino-cuts and then moving on from there. Which they did, magnificently. Below are three of their paintings As their fame grew they were variously patronised and encouraged by the art establishment, who tempted some of them with money and fame. But members of the group stayed true to themselves, pai...