Peter Howson - Mr Great Heart (1996)
Is he a danger or a protector?
How does Howson enhance the power of his characters?
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John Keane - Fairytales of London 1 (1992)
What is the woman doing here?
What does it say about being a mother/parent?
Graham Crowley - Sensitive Skin (1986)
What two images have been combined here?
What do you think the meaning of this image is?
Thomas Binks - Hull Whalers in the Arctic (1822)
How long have people sailed out of Hull?
Why did people hunt whales?
Walter Langley - Memories (1906)
What is the old lady looking at?
What is she thinking about?
Dropping out of Glasgow School of Art in 1997, Howson spent time in the army and then worked as a warehouseman and bouncer, living in a gymnasium. Here he met the boxers, dossers, squaddies and drinkers who populate so much of his work. The boxer is a recurrent motif - Howson was himself a boxer - and signifies for him the triumph of the underdog. The painting was used by the group The Beautiful South on the cover of their album, Quench.
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In this powerful image from a series called 'Fairy Tales of London' a young woman battles her way through a threatening urban landscape, burdened by the weight of the shopping and her children. In the distance her husband holds her on a leash, while in the foreground a telephone and skull symbolise modern communications and the classical 'vanitas' theme of the futility of human life.
"I've come to regard painting as a discourse rather than an activity. An exploration of the mind." Crowley has said. In this unusual portrait Crowley blends the image of a man with the wreckages and rooms of a run down building. The painting could symbolise how the mind can be like a collection of rooms filled with memories, experiences, dreams and traumas. The clutter of the mind is often talked about in relation to mental health and exploring your memories can be like unlocking doors to rooms you have not been inside in a while.
Hull has a rich fishing and maritime past and many fishermen have passed through the port of Hull during its long history. Fishermen have been operating out of Hull since the 16th century and Hull also has a strong whaling heritage. Fishing crews from Hull travelled to the Arctic to hunt whales and a thriving industry existed in the city based on the oil, blubber, whalebone and other products that were brought back. In the 1900s Hull's fishermen (or trawlers) would brave the arctic seas to catch fish.
The lady sits thoughtfully in her kitchen staring down at her wedding ring. Perhaps she is lost in the memories of her past, thinking of a husband who has passed away or maybe she is feeling melancholy as her life is all behind her. 'Memories' reminds us that our lives are short but very precious and that we should cherish our loved ones every single day.
