John Thompson: Do you Like 'em Then?
New Hardback book with dust cover.
9½ x 10½ ins (24.13 x 26.67 cms)
120 page hardback book
Written by Stuart Archer and Bill Clark
Published by Clark Art Ltd 2016
Clark Art are a gallery in Hale, Cheshire have represented the artist John Thompson for many years.
John Thompson (1924-2011)
The inner cover explains:
"John Thompson is a Lancashire artist of national and international standing. He did not become a n independent painter until he was in his fifties, but he has worked prolifically over the past 25 years previous to the publication of this book.
He is most famous for his group and figure works, a theme which has allowed him to experiment endlessly, moving from realism to abstraction, and providing haunting images - sometimes of a vanished age, sometimes of a contemporary relevance. Mystery, metaphor and magic give his groups a complex ambiguity and allow the viewer to provide subjective interpretations.
John is also a painter of many other and perhaps more classical genres. His work is in a modern and a human idiom and his imagination is fertile and witty.
John himself is a warm and approachable artist who loves to talk about his work: "Do you like 'em then? is his insistent question - a good question for his art craves a response, be it of hostility or admiration.
In recent years he has been more and more successful. Three of his groups were selected to hang in the House of Lords in Westminster as representative of a Northern culture. He has a loyal following of friends and patrons who collect his work with an eagerness almost amounting to religious fanaticism.
We hope this book will show you why!"
Front Cover:
Group Series 854: Mixed Media 30" x 40" : Private Collection.
By John Thompson