Frank Johnson. Photo: Bradford College
Frank Johnson (1917 – 1998) was born in Leicester but was a tutor at Bradford Art College from 1952 – 1980 and painted realistic street and social scenes of a rapidly changing Bradford. He lived at St. Mary’s Road, Manningham, Bradford.
He worked as a commercial artist in Leicester but after service with the RAF during WW2, he studied painting at Leicester College of Art (1947-1951), where he gained an Art Teachers Diploma. In 1952 he was appointed as a tutor at Bradford Regional College of Art and tutored other artists who gained fame from their work, including David Hockney, David Oxtoby, John Loker, Tony Bevan and Doug Binder.
In particular, Frank gave David Hockney support and encouragement at Bradford, supporting his transfer from the commercial art course to the painting course, and along with another Bradford tutor, Derek Stafford, encouraged Hockney to submit pictures for the Royal Academy’s 1957 Summer exhibition. Recalling Hockney, Frank Johnson later said:
It took David a little while to find his feet. But in his first four weeks before he had begun to shine, he wrote on top of one piece: ‘I’ll make my living as a painter before I am 30.’ I told him, “you’ll be lucky!”. But quite coolly he replied, ‘Any money you like.’ It is amazing that a provincial art school college (Bradford) turned out so many fine painters and is still doing it. (Bradford ‘Telegraph & Argus’ 7 Sept. 1987)
Frank’s own work shows the influence of the ‘Kitchen Sink’ art movement – with its realistic depictions of everyday scenes and muted colours – inspired by Walter Sickert and the ‘Euston Road School’ of painting, which supported naturalism and a realism style in art.
‘Summer in Lister Park’. Image: Bradford Museums & Galleries
‘Final Curtain for the Theatre Royal, Bradford’. Image: Bradford Museums & Galleries
Johnson’s work was exhibited frequently throughout his life, particularly in Yorkshire. It was included in the ‘Four Artists’ exhibition at Bradford City Art Gallery in 1961 and in the same year was exhibited in Yugoslavia at The Museum of Modern Art. His portraits were shown in the ‘Face to Face’ exhibition held at the Huddersfield Sports Centre Gallery in 1981. The South Square Gallery, Thornton, Bradford, also staged a major show of his work in 1983.
Examples of his artwork today are in Cartwright Hall, Bradford, Leeds City Art Gallery and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. He was also featured in the ‘175 Heroes of Bradford’ exhibition at Bradford College, 2008.
‘The Royal Standard’ Bradford. Image: Leeds Museums and Galleries.