| Description |
This work talks about the woodcuts by the enfant terrible of the British art world. In 1977, the 16 year old Billy Childish purposely smashed his own hand with a 3lb club hammer and walked out of his job as an apprentice stone mason at the Royal Naval Dockyards Chatham. Over the following 3 years, he was accepted no less than 4 times on the 'genius clause' (a provision for students who lacked the normal entrance qualifications but showed exceptional artistic potential) but this was not a happy union. Continually at odds with art school bureaucracy Childish was finally expelled from St Martins school of art in 1981. Proud to be thrown out, Childish then commenced 15 years of 'painting on the dole.' This timely book focuses on the graphic art of Billy Childish as a companion to the book of paintings published last year "Paintings of a Backwater Visionary". It is an overview of 22 years worth of woodcutting. Childish has consistently produced woodcuts since 1984, usually under the name of Bill Hamper. These pictures have donned the covers of his books and records, featured alongside his poems and stories, and have been exhibited around the world as works of art. |