Stuart Walton (b.1933)
"Gasholder Street, Hunslet Leeds"
Signed and dated (19)65, oil on canvas board, 120cm by 120cm

Provenance: Sands Gallery, Harrogate

Exhibited: Yorkshire Artist's exhibition 1965

Stuart Walton was born in Leeds in 1934. A self-taught artist, he focused on depicting the fast-disappearing Victorian terrace houses, cobbled streets and dark yards of Leeds. His paintings capture the atmosphere of the post-industrial North and his time growing up in the area.

Walton plays with the use of light throughout his compositions to create a dramatic and often dark atmosphere. Employing a brightly lit oil lamp or the sun reflecting off the side of a building, he adds great depth into his paintings, exaggerating contrast between light and shade in a modern chiaroscuro.

The industrial revolution dramatically altered cities across the North of England and created strong working communities. Following early employment as a signwriter and a spell in the army, Stuart Walton depicted the decline of industry in the North and the effects this had on urban settings. Recently his street scenes have had a rebirth in popularity. He was named the Inaugural Yorkshire Television Fine Arts Fellow in 1975.