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Message: Emoticon Listing HTML Help	[quote]Mr. G. W. Bissill HEANOR ARTIST’S WORK DUBBED “INDECENT” Panels for Secondary School Rejected Ripley & Heanor News 1 Nov 1929 Mr G. W. Bissill the miner artist, who is a native of Langley Mill and was a student at Heanor Secondary School, is very indignant at the action of Mr. Feek (Feck?)(Director of Education for the County) and Mr. Widdows (County architect), who have rejected four panels which he was commissioned by Mr R. Stoddard to paint for the school, on the ground that some of his figures are “indecent,” that the pictures “are not fit to be exhibited in a children’s school” and are not fit for the “uplift of education.” Mr Bissill explained to a “Nottingham Journal” correspondent how he undertook the work at the request of Mr. Stoddard, headmaster of the school, who wished to mark the occasion of his retirement after some thirty years there by making a representing Music, Art, Literature, and Science, and he commissioned Mr. Bissill to draw them for him. Mr. Bissill showed the correspondent copies of the pictures. The particular one representing Music, to which the term “indecent” was applied, portrays the creator (a man wearing a blouse and long tightly-fitting breeches), interpreters (men and women with harps), and two dancers clothed in a dancing garment to signify rhythm. Mr. Feek and Mr. Widdows have taken exception to the two dancers, whom they consider “indecent.” The picture entitled “Art” portrays the Three Graces linked together, a sculptor, painter, and architect. Science shows two men and two women holding symbolical objects representing fire, Air, Earth, and Water, while Literature similarly shows men and women with books and masks representing Literature and Drama. All the figures are normal and all are clothed. Some of the women have transparent dresses. Mr. Bissill said the exception had also been taken to the feet of his subjects, which he had left bare. He thought that these and one or two other minor “faults” found by Mr. Feek and Mr. Widdows were not worth bothering about as he was trying to portray his subject rather than a mere portrait. After the rejection of the pictures Mr. Stoddard asked if he might have expert advice on the pictures, but Mt Feek and Mr. Widdows refused. Mr. Bissill is at a loss to understand the attitude of these authorities as not only has he had praiseworthy exhibitions of his work in London, but specimens have been obtained for the Victoria and Albert Museum and private collections of well-known titled people. The Prime Minister also has some of his pictures in his home. THE HEANOR ART CONTROVERSY Eminent art critic to give opinion 22nd Nov 1929 HEANOR PAINTINGS SENSATION London art expert’s opinion 13th Dec 1929 HEANOR PICTURE SENSATION Panels on view 20th Dec 1929 Jenny[/quote]
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Jennypeg
Researcher

Langley Mill Artist
replied on: 1/6/2006 3:20:11 PM

Mr. G. W. Bissill

HEANOR ARTIST’S WORK
DUBBED “INDECENT”

Panels for Secondary School Rejected
Ripley & Heanor News
1 Nov 1929
Mr G. W. Bissill the miner artist, who is a native of Langley Mill and was a student at Heanor Secondary School, is very indignant at the action of Mr. Feek (Feck?)(Director of Education for the County) and Mr. Widdows (County architect), who have rejected four panels which he was commissioned by Mr R. Stoddard to paint for the school, on the ground that some of his figures are “indecent,” that the pictures “are not fit to be exhibited in a children’s school” and are not fit for the “uplift of education.”
Mr Bissill explained to a “Nottingham Journal” correspondent how he undertook the work at the request of Mr. Stoddard, headmaster of the school, who wished to mark the occasion of his retirement after some thirty years there by making a representing Music, Art, Literature, and Science, and he commissioned Mr. Bissill to draw them for him.
Mr. Bissill showed the correspondent copies of the pictures. The particular one representing Music, to which the term “indecent” was applied, portrays the creator (a man wearing a blouse and long tightly-fitting breeches), interpreters (men and women with harps), and two dancers clothed in a dancing garment to signify rhythm.
Mr. Feek and Mr. Widdows have taken exception to the two dancers, whom they consider “indecent.”
The picture entitled “Art” portrays the Three Graces linked together, a sculptor, painter, and architect.
Science shows two men and two women holding symbolical objects representing fire, Air, Earth, and Water, while Literature similarly shows men and women with books and masks representing Literature and Drama.
All the figures are normal and all are clothed. Some of the women have transparent dresses.
Mr. Bissill said the exception had also been taken to the feet of his subjects, which he had left bare. He thought that these and one or two other minor “faults” found by Mr. Feek and Mr. Widdows were not worth bothering about as he was trying to portray his subject rather than a mere portrait.
After the rejection of the pictures Mr. Stoddard asked if he might have expert advice on the pictures, but Mt Feek and Mr. Widdows refused.
Mr. Bissill is at a loss to understand the attitude of these authorities as not only has he had praiseworthy exhibitions of his work in London, but specimens have been obtained for the Victoria and Albert Museum and private collections of well-known titled people. The Prime Minister also has some of his pictures in his home.

THE HEANOR ART CONTROVERSY
Eminent art critic to give opinion
22nd Nov 1929

HEANOR PAINTINGS SENSATION
London art expert’s opinion
13th Dec 1929

HEANOR PICTURE SENSATION
Panels on view
20th Dec 1929

Jenny

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