Bradford Big Screen will showcase local artists

Past Bradford District Artists will feature six artists, with three images by each of them shown daily.

The exhibition starts on Monday, January 1 and will run daily on the screen at 12.30pm, until the end of February.

The presentation is the latest in a partnership between the Not Just Hockney project - which highlights Bradford artists both past and present - and the Big Screen in City Park.

Since 2016, Colin Neville, who curates the Not Just Hockney website, has worked in co-operation with Bradford UNESCO City of Film to illustrate the life and work of local visual artists on the Bradford Big Screen.

This has taken the form of daily seven minute presentations of examples of artwork by the featured artists.

Throughout 2024, in the lead-up to Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture in 2025, the focus will be on the lives and work of past artists from the district.

Says Colin: “The fact that Bradford and district has such a thriving arts scene today is because of the strong cultural roots established by artists of yesterday.

“There have been hundreds of past visual artists from the district who created work of great originality and distinction, and 2024 is a chance to highlight some of them on the Big Screen. In particular, I want to draw attention to some lesser- known local artists whose work, I feel, deserves greater recognition.

“Starting on January 1, the six artists are:

* James Arundel (1875-1960): James Arundel, in a long and adventurous life, worked as a builder, poet, broadcaster - and professional artist.

“He was a self-taught artist and did not take up painting professionally until he was in his fifties.

“By the end of his life had painted more than 1,000 works, which were widely exhibited, including at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon.

* Dorothy Bradford (1918-2008): Dorothy Bradford built an international reputation for her paintings and drawings of musicians and dancers, which were widely exhibited and collected.

“She lived in and raised a family in Ilkley during the 1960s and worked as an arts adviser locally. She was instrumental in establishing the Manor House Art Gallery at Ilkley.

* John Bradley (1787-1844): John Bradley was a Keighley artist who taught drawing to the Bronte children.

“He was a house decorator and sign painter, but also sketched and painted the post-industrial scene in and around the town.

“He was also a founder member of the Keighley Mechanics Institute - one of the first to be established in the north of England.

* James Exley (1878–1967): Bradford-born, James Exley, was a teacher, painter, etcher and printer.

“His artworks spanned a range of subjects, including landscapes, but he was particularly well-regarded for his etchings of poultry and for his portraits of influential members of Yorkshire society.

“His work was widely exhibited including at the Royal Academy.

* Margaret Firth (1898-1991): The Ilkley artist, Margaret Firth painted landscapes, flowers, and still life.

“Her style tended toward abstraction and was characterised by its subtle use of colour.

Cyclamen by Margaret Firth (Image: Colin Neville)

“Her work was widely exhibited and her paintings can be found in public collections, including with Bradford Museums and Galleries and the Hepworth, Wakefield.

* Alice Kirkby Goyder (1875-1964): Alice Goyder was a Bradford-born painter, etcher, sculptor, and children’s book author and illustrator.

“She painted a range of subjects, but was noted for her depictions of animals.

The Mill Girl, an engraving by Alice Goyder (Image: Colin Neville)

“She was a regular exhibitor at Royal Academy shows in London, as well as a long-standing member and exhibitor with the Society of Women Artists.”

Colin Neville is also currently organising a Silsden in Art show, to be staged over the Easter weekend in 2024 at Silsden in a fundraising event for the Town Hall. Says Colin: “This will feature more than 20 paintings and other artworks of Silsden scenes by past artists from across the Bradford district and elsewhere. These will be displayed alongside contemporary paintings, 3D artworks, and photographs of Silsden town and countryside by local artists and photographers. “Again, this show will emphasise the marvellous legacy and link between the past and present in the visual arts in the district generally, and Silsden in particular.”

* The Not Just Hockney presentations will be shown on the Big Screen in Bradford city centre every day at 12.30pm and the programme will change every two months throughout 2024..

More information on all the featured artists can be found at notjusthockney.info