A REGULAR art exhibition on Bradford's big screen is back with a fresh look in the New Year.
The Not Just Hockney digital presentation is moving from the artist's choice format of the last year, to a new past and present focus for 2022.
Three Bradford-born artists from the past will be paired with three local artists of the present.
The ongoing exhibition was set up by Silsden art enthusiast Colin Neville, who runs a website dedicated to local artists, called Not Just Hockney.
He said: "These bi-monthly paired presentations will highlight the historical connection and continuity in the visual arts locally. The Bradford district has a particularly rich cultural heritage, and all these past artists, in their own ways, in their own times, pushed the boundaries of their art toward the future, where others took up the challenge.
"This strong local legacy in the visual arts is likely to play a key role in the forthcoming challenge for Bradford and district to become the City of Culture in 2025.
"In the first of these Past and Present presentations the etcher, May Tremel, who died in 1963, is paired with Mike Moor, from Riddlesden, who shows the same attention to fine detail in his own very individual work.
"Frank Newbould, who died in 1951, was a graphic artist who designed many attractive rail posters of East Coast holiday destinations for the LNER during the 1920s and 30s. He is matched with Bradford-born digital artist, Richard O’Neill, who carries on the tradition of travel poster design today with his own colourful work.
"The third paring is of the distinguished textile artist and historian, Louisa Pesel, who died in 1947, with the Bradford-based tapestry weaver, Chrissie Freeth. Louisa Pesel’s design ideas were influenced by textile artists of the past, as are Chrissie’s tapestries. But both women used and use medieval and other past designs for their contemporary creative inspirations, rather than simply to copy and reproduce."
Details of the three pairings for January to the end of February are:
Frank Newbould and Richard O’Neill
Frank Newbould (1887-1951) - travel poster artist
Bradford-born, Frank Newbould, became one of the most successful travel poster designers of the early 20th Century. He is best remembered for his iconic railway poster designs of East Coast destination for the LNER in the 1920s and 30s.
Richard O’Neill - digital artist
"Born in Bradford and now based near Richmond in North Yorkshire, I am an award-winning digital artist specialising in hand drawn, contemporary landscapes. I am inspired by classic twentieth century travel art and the beautiful scenery of my home county of Yorkshire and beyond."
Louisa Pesel and Chrissie Freeth
Louisa Pesel (1870-1947) - embroiderer and textile historian
The distinguished embroiderer and textile historian, Louisa Pesel, was born in Bradford. She was committed to raising awareness of medieval English embroidery design, whilst emphasising how these could also inspire modern designs. During the First World War she worked with shell-shocked soldiers in Bradford and helped them design and embroider a Khaki altar cloth, now on display at Bradford Cathedral.
Chrissie Freeth - tapestry weaver
"I use large scale hand-woven tapestries to tell stories and explore my experiences and family myths. I play with traditional iconography and have developed a rich personal vocabulary of symbolism. The techniques used in medieval tapestries are a foundational inspiration and academic interest, but my work re-imagines them for contemporary relevance. I have exhibited at the Royal Academy, ARTAPESTRY and am shortlisted for the Cordis Prize."
May Tremel and Mike Moor
May Tremel (1882-1963) - etcher and sculptor
May Tremel was born in Bradford and studied art at the Royal College of Art, where she learned engraving and sculpture. Her etchings, including urban, coastal and landscape scenes, were much admired for their fine detail and were widely exhibited in Britain and overseas.
Mike Moor - artist and illustrator
"Despite appearances, my images are grounded in reality. They combine concerns about what is happening on the world stage with a spiritual awareness. I’m inspired by stories: epic, symbolic dramas that humble us. I hope my work in some way communicates that sense of awe and tenacious grit."
The Not Just Hockney exhibition runs every day at 12.30pm on the big screen in Bradford’s City Park.
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