10 March 2012
The Pitmen Painters - these creative men did as much work above ground as they did while working the coal face beneath... gritty, educational and full of comedy nuggets.
Unfortunately, due to a nasty dose of seasonal flu, I was unable to attend this performance. But - Dave did go with his Dad and Jean and shared some really positive feedback. They all said that The Pitmen Painters was highly amusing, deeply moving and very entertaining... sorry I missed it!
Based on actual events, the story goes a little like this:
In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the Pitmen began to paint – prolifically. Within a few years avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collectors; but every day they continued to work, as before, down the mine…
Following celebrated seasons at the National Theatre and on Broadway, Lee Hall’s production started it's most recent outing in London during October 2011. It shows little sign of running out of steam!
Ex-miner, Norman Cornish (work shown above), is regarded as the greatest living artist of mining life. Normn and his fellow Painters may not have been able to paint directly at the coal face, but their pictures are from their memories and, as such, are a record of the true life of those lost mining communities. A poignant reflection on recent social and economical history.
Based on actual events, the story goes a little like this:
In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the Pitmen began to paint – prolifically. Within a few years avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collectors; but every day they continued to work, as before, down the mine…
Following celebrated seasons at the National Theatre and on Broadway, Lee Hall’s production started it's most recent outing in London during October 2011. It shows little sign of running out of steam!
Ex-miner, Norman Cornish (work shown above), is regarded as the greatest living artist of mining life. Normn and his fellow Painters may not have been able to paint directly at the coal face, but their pictures are from their memories and, as such, are a record of the true life of those lost mining communities. A poignant reflection on recent social and economical history.
10 out of 10
