People's Art: Working Class Art from 1750 to the Present Day Book

This work illuminates a currently unstudied element of our cultural heritage. For the first time ever it identifies and describes the abundance of visual art by skilled and unskilled workers from the Industrial Revolution through to the present day. With the coming of the Industrial Revolution, much of the traditional "folk art" of the rural societies disappeared for ever. But the void was soon filled by an urge to decorate and ornament in new ways as creative minds reponded to the different techniques and materials, reflecting the new living and working conditions of the industrial-based world. It is this work, made in, on and around the home and work place which is the subject of this book. Incorporating public celebrations, trade processions and festivals and the art of sailors, pensioners and canal boats, Emmanual Cooper not only delves into the past but demonstrates the vibrancy and creativity of people's art today. The fantastical grotto beside a basement, the giant ears on the side of a house, cultivated gardens, customized cars, the creation of a million private worlds, people's art has a rightful place in society. It is part of our culture, to be enjoyed an appreciated, and this book is a celebration of its worth.Read More