Transplanted to Hampstead
This 1989 woodcut by Magnus Irvin shows the entrance to Hampstead tube
station on Heath Street. A tramp staggers down the road with a bottle in
his pocket. Passing cars collide violently and the pedestrians act
aggressively towards one another. The work was drawn from real life. The
artist saw a real tramp on the Seven Sisters Road in Finsbury Park who
inspired the work. He then transplanted the figure to this setting in
Hampstead.
Contemporary issues
Irvin uses distorted angles and exaggerated shapes to highlight the chaos
of the environment. He focuses on contemporary urban issues - traffic,
poverty, homelessness and street violence.
Magnus Irvin
Magnus Irvin lives in London. He has exhibited widely in the UK and
abroad. His work can be found in the collections of the Arts Council, the
Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum.
Museum number 2002.109
Related objects
|
|
|
