Jack Crabtree

“Painting is the business of thinking, not just the business of seeing. A painting is good or bad according to the force, logic and eloquence of its abstract components.”
 

These were Jack Crabtree’s own words at the age of 22, quoted in a newspaper article covering his first solo exhibition at Rochdale Art Gallery. The exhibition was curated by L. S. Lowry, Leo Solomon (Principal of Rochdale School of Art) and A. W. MacDonald (Principal of Oldham Art School).
 

Jack established his artistic vision early in life, and his remarkable body of work is testament to what great art can achieve in the hands of a truly committed artist. A deeply felt and explored social and political truth runs throughout his work, regardless of scale.

His paintings possess a visceral energy and a powerful sense of engagement with both his subject matter and his chosen medium. There is strength in the aesthetic qualities of his work, but also in the social and political ideas that underpin it. Every element that came together in the finished work was carefully and deliberately considered.
 

As both an educator and an artist, Jack never allowed a desire to please others to compromise his creative vision, even when working on high-profile commissions. Interviews he gave throughout his career reveal an artist willing to embrace the risks and challenges that come with remaining true to his creative intentions.
 

His work is uncompromising, powerful and, once experienced, unforgettable.
 

Jack’s legacy lives on through the many works held in the collections of the National and University Galleries of Wales.