Creative License (Paperback)

James Charnley

ISBN 10: 0718893476 / ISBN 13: 9780718893477

Published by James Clarke & Co Ltd, Cambridge, 2015

About this Item

Paperback. 'Creative License' describes what happened next and the continuum leading up to this moment. In this ground-breaking study, James Charnley reveals the personalities and events that ignited an explosion of radical creativity such that a contemporary observer, Patrick Heron, could describe Leeds College of Art as "an unprecedented inventive powerhouse on the national scene". Between 1963 and 1973, Leeds College of Art and Leeds Polytechnic were at the forefront of an experiment in art and education where "all that was forbidden was to be dull". With Jeff Nuttall, Robin Page, George Brecht, Patrick Hughes and John Fox on the staff, students pushed the freedom and facilities offered further than anything before or since.'Creative License' captures the rebellious trajectory of the 1960s, the emergence of the counter-culture, dissent and later disillusionment. This is a case study of an era when art colleges were well funded and well free and, at Leeds, had a mission to progress the avant-garde project to the next level. Perhaps only now can the consequences of this experiment be assessed and its achievements recognised, and James Charnley sets out to do just that. Both a celebration and a meticulously researched history, this is a study of the early days of the Leeds College of Art and the radical creativity of its approach to art education. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780718893477

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Creative License (Paperback)
• Publisher: James Clarke & Co Ltd, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0718893476
• ISBN 13: 9780718893477
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

"On the road up to the University, the gleaming new purpose-built Leeds Polytechnic awaited the arrival of the students and staff of the art college. All the latest facilities were in place. The only thing missing was any concept of what to expect."
'Creative License' describes what happened next and the continuum leading up to this moment. In this groundbreaking study, James Charnley reveals the personalities and events that ignited an explosion of radical creativity such that a contemporary observer, Patrick Heron, could describe Leeds College of Art as "an unprecedented inventive powerhouse on the national scene". Between 1963 and 1973, Leeds College of Art and Leeds Polytechnic were at the forefront of an experiment in art and education where "all that was forbidden was to be dull". With Jeff Nuttall, Robin Page, George Brecht, Patrick Hughes and John Fox on the staff, students pushed the freedom and facilities offered further than anything before or since.
'Creative License' captures the rebellious trajectory of the 1960s, the emergence of the counterculture, dissent and later disillusionment. This is a case study of an era when art colleges were well funded and well free and, at Leeds, had a mission to progress the avant-garde project to the next level. Perhaps only now can the consequences of this experiment be assessed and its achievements recognized, and James Charnley sets out to do just that.

Table of Contents

"List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction

Part 1 Leeds College of Art Rising
1 A State of Flux
2 The Ascent of the ‘Avant-Garde’
3 Excavating the Academy

Part 2 Pirates of the Polytechnic
4 Into the Hangar
5 More Circus Than Studio
6 Some Students Observed
7 Some Tutors Considered

Part 3 The Author, the ICA and After
8 Delinquent Days
9 Playing Away at the ICA
10 The Final Art Show
11 Conclusion

Appendix A
Appendix B
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index"

About the Author

James Charnley studied Fine Art and Art History and Leeds Metropolitan and Manchester Metropolitan universities. Much of his life has been spent working in film and television, most notably for the BBC and Granada Television. More recently he has concentrated on painting and writing, pursuits enabled by his professional joinery work.