NORMAN CORNISH A Centenary Castlegate House Gallery, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 9HA www.castlegatehouse.co.uk [email protected] 01900 822149 or 07920 836 874
Front cover: Norman in his studio Inside front cover: Norman in his studio Inside back cover: ‘Two men playing dominoes’ Detail. Previous page: ‘Washing Day’ Back cover: ‘Smoking man at bar with dog’ This page: Norman with wife Sarah
Norman Cornish MBE – A Centenary In 1919 Norman Cornish was born into We have the enviable position, as a very different world to that of today. representatives of Norman’s estate, In the immediate aftermath of the Great of working with John and Anne, his son War, society had begun a sea-change, one and daughter, and their spouses, Mike and which inexorably was to lead to such social Dorothy, to explore the hitherto publicly change as increasing women’s rights fuelled unseen works and curate what we believe by the socialising of roles and responsibilities to be an exhibition spanning genre, medium as huge numbers of young to middle-aged and size, as a fitting commemorative men fought on the battlefields of Europe. centenary exhibition. We can’t thank them enough for their How much of this sea-change was initially support, friendship and encouragement. felt by the inhabitants of Spennymoor, a small mining town in County Durham, Steve and Christine Swallow is a matter for conjecture, but as the world once again headed towards global conflict and the years beyond, society was changing, attitudes were changing, the fundamental fabric of lives was changing, and Norman was to provide one of the most important, authentic and touching records; snapshots of oil, pastel, watercolour, charcoal and pen, of a British working-class society during that change. 1
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‘Arcadia Cinema Spennymoor’ Oil on paper 91cm x 106cm 3
‘Lady pushing pram’ Oil on paper 106cm x 91cm 4
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‘Two men playing dominoes’ – Double sided Oil on board 40cm x 53cm 6
Reverse of ‘Two men playing dominoes’ Oil on board 53cm x 40cm Following pages ‘Washing day’ Oil on paper 88cm x 107cm 7
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‘Edward Street with horse and cart’ Oil on board 70cm x 91cm 12
‘Salvin Street with horse and cart’ Oil on board 68cm x 91cm 13
‘Zebra crossing with children’ Watercolour on paper 28cm x 38cm 14
‘Back street near colliary’ Pastel and chalk on paper 40cm x 34cm 15
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‘D. BLOGGS horse and cart’ Oil on board 48cm x 83cm 17
‘Dean and Chapter gantry’ Pastel and chalk on paper 55cm x 75cm 18
‘Gantry with steam engine’ Charcoal and chalk on paper 48cm x 48cm 19
‘Pit Gantry’ Oil on board 49.5cm x 61cm 20
‘Gantry’ Flo-master pen on paper 19cm x 27.5cm 21
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‘The cage’ Oil on board 61cm x 24cm 23
‘Miners approaching gantry’ – Double sided Watercolour on paper 23cm x 29cm 24
Reverse of ‘Miners approaching gantry’ – Miner underground Watercolour on paper 29cm x 23cm 25
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‘Sarah beating eggs’ Oil on paperr 106cm x 90cm 27
‘Miner with drill I’ Charcoal and chalk on paper 31cm x 47cm 28
‘Miner with drill II’ Charcoal and chalk on paper 31cm x 47cm 29
‘Sketch of crowded bar’ Watercolour and pen on paper 48cm x 84cm 30
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‘Two heads’ Charcoal on paper 76cm x 56cm 35
Norman Cornish worked at the Dean and Within five miles of the pit there were some Chapter colliery at Ferryhill for over 30 years 135 collieries at various stages of working, – a three mile walk from his home in Bishops’ closing and re-opening. The impact on the Close Street in Spennymoor. The colliery environment was everywhere. was known locally as the ‘Butcher’s Shop’ because of the frequency of accidents Norman started work on Boxing Day 1933 including 177 fatalities during the lifetime and walked the pit road every day for the of the pit. Three thousand tons of coal next 30 years in all weathers and different was produced every day by a workforce times of the night and day. A few weeks of 2,135 men underground – a third of it after he started at Dean and Chapter machine-mined and the rest hand hewn. colliery an underground tunnel collapsed and created the undulation he shows in many of the Pit Road paintings and drawings. Sketch of miners on pit road Charcoal on paper 50cm x 65cm 36
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‘Smoking man at bar with dog’ – Double sided Charcoal and chalk on paper 75cm x 55cm 38
Reverse of ‘Smoking man at bar with dog’ Charcoal and chalk on paper 75cm x 55cm 39
‘Man smoking at bar’ Charcoal on paper 70cm x 49cm 40
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Previous page ‘Bar scene with greyhound’ Charcoal on paper 45cm x 73cm 44
‘Two men at bar with dog’ Charcoal and chalk on paper 75cm x 55cm 45
‘Man at bar with dog on lead’ – Double sided Oil on board 122cm x 91.5cm 46
Revese of ‘Man at bar with dog on lead’ Oil on board 122cm x 91.5cm 47
‘Man at bar IV’ Pastel on paper 37cm x 31.5cm 48
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