The Pitmen Painters

Synopsis

In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began to paint. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine. Examining the lives of a group of ordinary men that do extraordinary things, The Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

Latest User Review

David - 12 March 2009:

Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters is very similar ti Billy Elliott except this time adult miners use art as a means of self-fulfillment rather than a career. I suspect this is a highly romanticised version of the actual story. Obviously things were different in the thirties but it is absurd to argue that the arts are still reserved forthe elite and Hall's belief that "common ownership", ie nationalisation should have brought about a socialist utopia demonstrates a refusal to accept the lessons oh post-war history. Despite the polemic the play is extremely funny as the miners and their art appreciation tutor struggle to find a common language and allows the miners to express varying arguments about the nature of a wide range of artistic styles....

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