Many events have happened in the 20th Century, the space race, the birth of rock and roll and the civil rights movement. We as humans have a lot of different achievements we can be proud of. We don’t always make the right choices, we as a species have been extremely creative in all aspects of our lives from art to music and acting.
Art came to life in the 20th Century as it became part of our everyday lives as more everyday people became excited by art and as many couldn’t afford originals they wanted cheaper prints. Previously art was reserved for royalty and the rich, but in the 20th Century art became more accessible as well as more acceptable for normal people.
Beryl Cook was an artist from Plymouth, Devon in the UK who sadly past away earlier this year. She was originally from Surrey and spent time travelling as a performer before having a job in the fashion industry and then planting her roots in Plymouth with her husband John Cook. Her works was well known for featuring depictions of every day life and the people of Plymouth. They would produce colourful Beryl Cook prints that focus on the things everyday people do, such as waiting to get on a bus or the bin men collecting the rubbish.
Doug Hyde was born in 1972 and he has made big waves in the art community for someone so young as the BBC named him the UK’s Best Selling Artist. He uses a simple but effective technique, he is inspired by the emotions he has felt in certain situations and this is part of what has made Doug Hyde prints so popular. As well as producing prints he is also an accomplished sculptor, producing sculptures that follow the same themes and often feature similar characters featured in his canvas artwork.
Peter Smith is an artist that comes from Mansfield near Nottingham. Peter Smith has had a varied career path working as a information technology programmer and a designer in the fashion industry. Peter Smith prints are inspired by the likes of Dali as some of his artwork features surreal ideas and imagery. Peter Smith prints also feature animal characters sometimes called impossimals,that look like a mix between a hippo and a zebra. These creatures have become vastly popular in both print and sculpture forms.