The London Underground of the 70s & 80s

[Dan Randall]

I came across these pictures of the London Underground of the 1970s - 1980s....

vintage everyday: Amazing Photographs of London Underground in the 1970s and 1980s

If you're expecting pictures of trains, you'll be disappointed, as the focus is on people going about their daily routines, which for one lucky young man means being the centre of attention for a couple of adoring females , whilst in another picture a (presumeably drunk), man is peeing against the wall by the payphones - nice!

I can't help thinking that quite a few of the other people imortalised forever on film are three sheets to the wind, but that aside, it's well worth a look, especially if you remember the Underground of old.


Regards

Dan

 

[adrian]

Thanks for the link!

Love to know what this guy with a hat was carrying!!



Also this strikes me as a suitable image for a Pink Floyd album!

 

[unklian]

Funny how "familiarity breeds contempt" and all that, I spent a large part of my life travelling on the Underground in the 70's and 80's and I don't remember taking many if any photographs. I will have to have a look in the depths of my print collection ...

 

[Peter Insole]

Ah hah thanks Dan, for a fun bit of the old London Underground! I particularly liked the chalked "definitely closed" sign in the linked page!

Being an odd soul myself, and also (fortunate?) to have been self employed as an Illustrator back in the late seventies/early eighties, I was able to annoy colleagues in the office by refusing to travel in the rush hour like them! I argued that buying "Cheap Day Return" tickets cost me less than their Season Tickets, and I could travel in fabulous comfort (empty carriages after 9AM in those days!). Besides, neither had I missed a single client call in four years as none had EVER called before 10AM anyway!

Yes, I worked to deadlines too, but the fools always used to b****r off at bang on 5 o'clock regardless, so had they to "hit the floor running" first thing in the morning to catch up!
I on the other hand used to carry on later, usually getting all the work done (undisturbed), lock up the studio and go home in similarly comfortable and relaxed fashion!

I used to think I was being clever. But now I realise that I was, and still am phobic about being in an enclosed space with too many people in it!!

Here is my own take on a slightly strange Central Line commuter.

Pete.

 

[Dan Randall]

Cracking illustration Peter. Does that qualify you for admission to The Guild of Railway Artists I wonder?


Regards

Dan

 

[Peter Insole]

Thank you Dan, glad you like it.

And now for a shameful confession. The picture was indeed hung at a Guild exhibition, but it was such a long time ago that I cannot remember which one or when now!

Regrettably, I am a sort of absentee member these days. I haven't paid my dues, been to meetings or submitted work for quite a few years, yet they still send me their newsletters and address me as "G.R.A."! I don't feel that I deserve such favour, but very much appreciate it. I really miss the good folks at Warwick, but railway paintings have been put on hold while model making and an unfinished book project have kept me rather busy!!

I have just started assembling reference material and sketching up for an interior view of an old Shenfield Class 306 unit, but dare not get too involved with it before other jobs are nearer completion!!

One day soon I hope?

Pete.

 

[Dog Star]

Peter, are you telling us that the image is of a painting? My initial take was a photo given the clarity of the detail throughout the picture.

 

[Peter Insole]

Well OK DS, it's not quite a painting. More of a coloured pencil drawing with some bits painted with Gouache actually!

May I tell a little story?:

There is a lovely lady living in Swanage who has purchased several of my "paintings" along with a number of others by a water colour artist that I greatly admired. I expressed a desire to meet him, so she set it up. When I arrived, the gentleman was already there and I found him carefully studying one of my works. After a while he turned to me and said;

"Sorry, I don't understand why you bother, why didn't you just go and take a photograph instead?"

I was rather taken aback for a moment, then replied;

"Ah indeed, but if it were a photograph I very much doubt that you would have taken much more than a glance at it? I am not expecting you to understand or even like my work, but at least you took the time to consider it!"

He smiled and said;

"Good point, but you still haven't answered my question!"

What else could I say other than; "Well, it's just what I do!"?

Of course relating this exchange is in no way meant to be insulting to any of my photographer friends, but quite the opposite. I suspect with regret that most people are selective in their opinion of photography, regarding some work as "artistic" while the rest is scornfully viewed as just "snapshots" Any other art form is more likely to be accepted as such, but judged merely by personal taste?

He was probably right then. If I worked in a more traditional, slightly abstract and "painterly" way my art would probably be less likely to be mistaken for something else so often! But I really don't know how to do that!

Pete.

 

[oldravendale]

What a great opportunity for a philosophical discussion, Peter!

Let's just say this. Mrs D and I are collectors, in a small way, of watercolours. We've always agreed that we like the rather "chocolate boxy" Victorian pics - Birkett Foster springs to mind - where you can tell exactly what the subject matter is, and we enjoy admiring the draftsmanship and accuracy of being able to tell exactly where the subject is, and what is going on. (Steph will now express entirely the opposite view and advise what he'll be doing with our pictures when we shuffle off this mortal coil!) This is certainly a bit photographic, but an artist has the ability to move the occasional tree or foreground information to create a more satisfying scene. (Not that it's impossible to do that in a photo, particularly with digital photography). Not at all intellectually challenging, I agree, but nevertheless, it satisfies my wishes and as someone who doesn't really know one end of a paintbrush from another (unless it's loaded with enamels). After all, any view of art is bound to be subjective, and if one is supposed to understand art at all it appears that one has to take a superior view and not consider the "hoi polloi" - and IMHO these are exactly the people who should be able to express a valid view.

Having nailed my colours firmly to the mast I've also found that, as I have taken an interest in the subject, my understanding has widened. I'm tending to move away from Constable and now find Turner quite inspiring, although it's hard to see what's going on in a lot of his pictures. The same goes for sculpture - having denigrated him in my early life I now find Antony Gormley's work inspiring - Angel of the North is amazing, Another Place stunning and Event Horizon surprising - you never know where he'll pop up! Whether I'll ever come to terms with half a cow in formaldehyde I'm not so sure, but that's Damien Hirst and I'm not that educated yet.

I believe there is a place for all types of art and, indeed, art observation. After all, one of the reasons for doing it is to test boundaries and a picture by a superb draftsman can give as much satisfaction from the pure detail in the work as some expansive modern work.

The issue of a viewer dismissing a wagon on one of the Guildex exhibition stands came up on this forum recently. The situation is the same. Diesels may not be my thing, but the ability of someone to recreate a translucent roof on a Class 33 for example is a remarkable achievement and would get my vote over yet another Castle or King.

Well, that's my view, and if you don't agree, good for you! The whole issue is so subjective that I'm not going to get hot under the collar about any of it!

(And your picture on the tube is great. I'd buy it!)

Brian

 

[PMP]

That set of pics does bring back loads of memories, I used to work at Kings Cross in the 80's (in MRM or Kings Cross models as it was generally called)

The Tube was a very different place to today, and some places intimidating if you weren't used to them. The character of the Tube changed with the ebb and flow of the day, most of those pics I'd put as taken late evening.. The buskers at Angel is one of my favourites, and I too think Pete's picture is very good and interesting both in subject and mix of mediums.

 

[Dan Randall]

The buskers at Angel is one of my favourites

I always found Angel Station quite eerie. I used it years ago as I think it was the closest station to the venue where Scaleforum was held (before they moved to Leatherhead). The narrow island platform seemed very dangerous to me and I seem to recall it was quite deep underground with a spiral staircase around the cast-iron segmented lift shaft. If you've ever seen the old black and white British film "The Yellow Balloon", starring William Sylvester and Kenneth More (these days, available on DVD - I have a copy), you'll probably realise why Angel Station, used to give me the willies - the small boy being chased through a disused underground station was the stuff of nightmares!


Regards

Dan

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks guys for your comments. PMP, there is one thing that hasn't changed on the Underground in all those intervening years, and that is the wonderful array of characters that populate it (many of them staff too!)

Thanks Brian for your very interesting reply.

I suppose that I was revealing a bit of personal frustration when relating that story! It has been an enormous privilege to have spent the last twenty six years working with an awful lot of art students. Every one of them, sometimes desperately seeking their own individual "voice" with which to express themselves. It is always hugely gratifying when some succeed, even though their work is often not to my own taste!

Art is a language, and can be (sometimes should be) challenging, but can also be a simple source of pleasure or even comfort! It is therefore all valid.

For many artists the problem with subjectivity is the influence of fashion. Railway art is far more popular now than it has ever been, indeed it is a growth industry, yet if you look at the GRA exhibition catalogues it is notable that oil paintings, generally of one subject and frequently in similar style achieve the highest prices, whereas watercolours or other media, however well executed, struggle to get anywhere near!

That is not meant to be a criticism of any individuals, merely an observation! I'm resigned to never being able to understand financial matters, nor be any good at churning out paintings. Although I regularly feel a nagging desire to start on another big picture, there is the Bagshot Station commission, the Book Project and a pile of model carriages to build first!

Pete.