Jack Crabtree (artist)
Encyclopedia
Jack Crabtree is a contemporary English
artist.
, Lancashire
, England
. Between 1957 and 1959 he studied at St. Martin’s College of Art
in London. Between 1959 and 1961 he undertook another course at the Royal Academy School in London.
in South Wales
, before taking up an appointment at the University of Ulster
in Belfast
. He left after a while to settle in France
.
To date Crabtree has had over 70 solo exhibitions, the most recent in Ireland at the Kerlin and Rubicon Galleries in Dublin, at The Ulster Museum and at the Orchard Gallery in Derry
. His work can be found in many public collections, including the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
, the Arts Council of Ireland
and Newport Museum and Art Gallery
"Crabtree is a social realist who works in a natural style that is neither didactic nor over-emphatic. Sometimes his imagery is exhilarating, full of energetic figures, and sometimes sad and sensitive, showing old or weary men struggling to keep going. His vision is affectionate rather than romantic. He sees wild hillsides as a beautiful setting for one of the grimmest jobs facing any man. In his paintings, that beauty and that grimness are parts of an inter-locking reality that has stimulated his creative imagination; while in his graphics the spare outlines and meticulous observation of human nature has been likened to George Grosz
's. The comparison is misleading, for Crabtree's sense of humor rarely turns into satire."
1966-74: lecturer at the College of Art in Newport.
1983-86: Professor of Fine Art at the University of Ulster, Belfast.
1974/75: Fellowship at the National Coal Board
.
1975/76: Gregynog Arts Fellowship, University of Wales
.
1976/77: First International Ruhr Arts Fellowship awarded by the German Federal Government.
for the Council Chambers at Plas Machynlleth
.
1974/75: for the National Coal Board, a pictorial record of the changing face of the coalfields of South Wales
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist.
Early life and education
Crabtree was born in 1938 in RochdaleRochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Between 1957 and 1959 he studied at St. Martin’s College of Art
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
in London. Between 1959 and 1961 he undertook another course at the Royal Academy School in London.
Career
After leaving the Royal Academy Crabtree lived and worked for a number of years in Rochdale and Salford and then at NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, before taking up an appointment at the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. He left after a while to settle in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
To date Crabtree has had over 70 solo exhibitions, the most recent in Ireland at the Kerlin and Rubicon Galleries in Dublin, at The Ulster Museum and at the Orchard Gallery in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. His work can be found in many public collections, including the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....
, the Arts Council of Ireland
Arts Council of Ireland
The Arts Council of Ireland was founded in 1951 by the Government of Ireland to encourage interest in Irish art and channel to funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations...
and Newport Museum and Art Gallery
Newport Museum
Newport Museum is a museum and art gallery in the city of Newport, Wales. It is located in Newport city centre on John Frost Square and is adjoined to the Kingsway Shopping Centre.-The museum collection:...
Style
Crabtree’s style has been described as follows by Margaret Richards of Tribune:"Crabtree is a social realist who works in a natural style that is neither didactic nor over-emphatic. Sometimes his imagery is exhilarating, full of energetic figures, and sometimes sad and sensitive, showing old or weary men struggling to keep going. His vision is affectionate rather than romantic. He sees wild hillsides as a beautiful setting for one of the grimmest jobs facing any man. In his paintings, that beauty and that grimness are parts of an inter-locking reality that has stimulated his creative imagination; while in his graphics the spare outlines and meticulous observation of human nature has been likened to George Grosz
George Grosz
Georg Ehrenfried Groß was a German artist known especially for his savagely caricatural drawings of Berlin life in the 1920s...
's. The comparison is misleading, for Crabtree's sense of humor rarely turns into satire."
Teaching
1961-66: teaching in schools in the Salford and Rochdale area.1966-74: lecturer at the College of Art in Newport.
1983-86: Professor of Fine Art at the University of Ulster, Belfast.
Awards
1959/60: Kenyon's Foundation Rochdale Education Authority travelling bursary to France.1974/75: Fellowship at the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
.
1975/76: Gregynog Arts Fellowship, University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
1976/77: First International Ruhr Arts Fellowship awarded by the German Federal Government.
Notable Commissions
1971: Artist at Work - murals on the theme of Owain GlyndwrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
for the Council Chambers at Plas Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
.
1974/75: for the National Coal Board, a pictorial record of the changing face of the coalfields of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.