“the Industrial Revolution and the Art that it inspired.”
The Art created by painters at the sharp end of the industrial revolution, was full of honest social comment which directly related to the imbalance of in English society. Shown in graphic detail are the brutal facts of life of workers made more poignant by the sheer artistic genius of those artists they created these genuine authentic paintings.
These artists finally overcame the prejudice of the art establishment and triumphed to become respected and renown artists in their own country. In this three part series of articles, the comprehensive detailed story is about how these Artists, born and raised in Northern England, chose to represent the environment and the people created by the most important revolution in modern history.
the painter...Chris Cyprus - one page intro
When artist Chris Cyprus first tried to capture the magical colours of twilight in his beloved Mossley, little did he know he was painting the first of a series that would span over a decade, run to 250 images and see him featured on prime time BBC. That series, called Northern Lights - instantly recognisable for its palette of striking blues, oranges and yellows - is now at an end. And an exhibition at Contemporary Six near Manchester’s Albert Square, will showcase 36 paintings, including the final composition.
The premise of the series is simple: scenes of everyday northern life illuminated by both the setting sun and the distinctive warm glow of sodium street lighting. The subject matter is down to earth and instantly relatable, from pubs to bus stops, garages and back alleyways And it quickly became apparent that many others besides Chris a former self-employed builder - were fascinated by the play of natural and artificial light as the street lamps first come on at the end of the day.
People loved the artist’s unsentimental blend of northern grit and cosy warmth and prices started to rise from just £200 a painting at the start of the series to the £450-£5K plus he now commands. One local patron has 15 of his tableaux dotted around their home (“It looks like a gallery,” quips Chris), whilst a fan in Germany tops this with 18 in their collection.
The self-taught painter has aficionados as far afield as the United States and Australia - a combination of expats and starry-eyed holiday makers who wanted to take a slice of the UK home with them. Ch
