World-famous artist a son of the Shankill
AN artist celebrated internationally for depicting the Ulster way of life in the face of poverty and hardship was hailed yesterday as a true Shankill man.
In the year of the 40th anniversary of his death, the work of painter William Conor is being brought to a whole generation, many of whom are unaware of his birthplace.
A new exhibition, aimed at bringing greater awareness of the Belfast artist to the area he grew up in, was launched yesterday at the Spectrum Centre on the Shankill Road, barely a mile from where Conor was born.
During his career, Conor’s work was shown in London, Paris, Dublin and the United States, and he became known as “the people’s painter”, for his depiction of everyday working life in Belfast.
Conor’s paintings depict the shipyard and millworkers, the ordinary person on the street, children playing and cultural aspects like Twelfth celebrations and Ulster soldiers in the First and Second World Wars.
But while Conor became world-famous, he wasn’t as celebrated in his home town, and few people are aware of his Shankill background.
The opening of the exhibition, showing 22 prints of his works, is part of a programme by the West Belfast Athletic and Cultural Society to promote awareness of the painter’s work and Shankill heritage. A competition among three local primary schools to submit work inspired by Conor’s subject matter was organised, Artibility workshops are being carried out, helping to engage able-bodied teenagers with their disabled peers and a mural inspired by Conor’s work on a background of modern skylines has also been produced and now hangs in the Spectrum Centre.
Officially opening the exhibition, the DUP’s Nigel Dodd’s described Conor as “one of the best known, and best loved, local artists”.
“William Conor’s paintings provide a quality record of life in Belfast at a time when Belfast was one of the great industrial powerhouses of the British Empire,” he said.
“This exhibition promotes the Shankill as an area to be proud of and one that contributed greatly to the development of Belfast.”
Former Belfast councillor Billy Hutchinson, who collects Conor prints, spoke about his instant love for the artist’s work when he first discovered him during his time in prison.
“I think I fell in love with it,” he said. “The reason was because, for me, it actually showed the Shankill as it was.
“I didn’t see these as actual paintings, I saw what they represented.
“He told the history of Belfast and beyond, and he left us that legacy, we can see what it was like in those times.
“It’s not just a piece of art, it’s also a piece of history, and also our heritage and our culture.”
lThe Celebrating William Conor exhibition runs in the Spectrum Centre on Belfast’s Shankill Road until December 18 (excluding weekends).
For further information contact the centre on 028 9031 1455.
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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