Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in London in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to champion figurative painting against what it calls the superficiality of conceptual art. Its name came from a poem about Tracey Emin telling Childish he was 'stuck' with painting. Through a pile of manifestos - The Stuckists, Remodernism, Anti-anti-art - the founders argued for a return to emotional authenticity, spiritual values and the artist as communicator, branding themselves 'anti-anti-art' and opposing the Young British Artists and the Turner Prize. The group has demonstrated annually at Tate Britain since 2000, and staged its first major museum show at the Walker Art Gallery during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. From thirteen British artists it grew into hundreds of groups worldwide, mostly making raw, direct, deliberately unfashionable paintings.
Defining characteristics
- Direct figurative painting in a deliberately unpolished, expressive hand
- Bold brushwork, visible impasto and raw, unblended colour
- Emotional, narrative subjects: portraits, nudes, animals, memoir and satire
- Anti-irony: sincere storytelling in place of conceptual distancing
- Painting as communication - handmade images over installation and text art
Key figures
- Billy Childish (b. 1959) — Painter, poet and musician who co-founded Stuckism in 1999 and left the group in 2001
- Charles Thomson (b. 1953) — Artist who named and co-founded the movement, wrote its manifestos and organised its Turner Prize demonstrations
- Joe Machine (b. 1973) — Founding member whose raw paintings of sailors, animals and violence epitomise Stuckist figuration
Example works
- Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision — Charles Thomson (2000)
- Man Walking in Snow — Billy Childish (1999)
- My Grandfather Will Fight You — Joe Machine (2001)
Sources
- Stuckism - WikiArt institution
- Stuckism - Wikipedia encyclopedia