Items Similar to Firing. Setting & Detonation of Explosive Charges Underground Welsh Coalminers
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Five Gymnasts in Training](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-five-gymnasts-in-training-for-sale/a_9323/a_34005411539182323410/04_Five_Gymnasts_in_Training_980_master.jpg)
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 24
Valerie GanzFiring. Setting & Detonation of Explosive Charges Underground Welsh Coalminers
About the Item
Valerie Ganz.
Welsh ( b.1936 - d.2015 ).
Firing.
Oil on Artist’s Board.
Signed lower right.
Image size 15.4 inches x 19.3 inches ( 39cm x 49cm ).
Frame size 20.9 inches x 24.6 inches ( 53cm x 62.5cm ).
Available for sale; this original oil painting is by the Welsh artist Valerie Ganz and dates from around 1985.
The painting is presented and supplied in its’ original wooden frame (which is shown in these photographs).
This vintage painting is in very good condition, defying its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
The painting is signed lower right.
Valerie Ganz was a highly acclaimed contemporary Welsh artist, recognised for her insightful figurative art, especially of workers in industrial settings.
Born in Swansea in 1936, she started painting at a young age. She later attended Swansea College of Art where she studied painting, sculpture and stained glass. She then remained there as a tutor until 1973 when she turned her attention to painting full time. Her first solo exhibition was at the Attic Gallery, Swansea.
Valerie spent much of her career depicting the industrial heritage of Wales, from the bombsites of her Swansea childhood to the coalfaces of the South Wales Valleys. She was particularly interested in the mining industry and over the years she worked in fourteen different collieries.
In 1985 she took a house and studio at Six Bells, Abertillery, and for the following year she worked as an artist at the Six Bells Colliery. She worked alongside the miners, both above ground and at the coalface and in the evenings she made studies of them with their families at choir practice, in the snooker halls and in the chapel. This work formed the basis of the mining exhibition at the Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea in 1986; “Mining in Art” alongside works of Josef Herman, Jack Crabtree and Nicholas Evans.
Valerie then spent a year in London, where she set up her studio and worked every day at the Central School of Ballet, capturing images of the dancers. She found a common link between the miners and dancers; she wrote ‘Their world is a centralised one and their work depends on trust in the colliery and on their colleagues to work safely, while in ballet the performance depends on the excellence of those around you and their dedication to the craft; when a miner goes underground he’s cut off from the outside world and in the same way a ballet dancer, no matter how big a star he or she is, must line up with the junior members of the company and similarly rely on their professional competence“.
In 1990, following on from her time at Six Bells Colliery, British Coal commissioned her to work at three open case sites, where she again captured the working culture of the men who worked there. This culminated in a further large exhibition.
Valerie went to South Africa several times, where she painted workers in the oil industry, and also travelled into the Patagonian Desert in Argentina to paint oilrigs and their workmen.
Her curiosity with “other lives” and interest in figurative drawing also took her to New Orleans where she painted jazz artists and to Swansea Prison where she painted offenders, one such works now adorns the National Assembly building in Wales. She also visited various nightclubs to capture dancers and revellers and worked with classical musicians at Dartington Music School and the Brecon Jazz Festival.
Ganz explained her interest in figurative art; “People in their working lives, whether in a deep mine, in the theatre or in a jazz club is what fascinates me and makes me want to study them and try to say something about their achievements”.
Ganz travelled widely throughout her career, painting the people and also the landscapes of China, France, Italy, India, Namibia, Brazil and Thailand. She has also painted the urban landscapes of New York.
Valerie’s Ganz last major solo exhibition was at the Attic Gallery in Swansea in 2010. In her later years she was a regular visitor to the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, where she sketched the Ospreys rugby team from the touchline.
The work of Valerie Ganz is now found in prominent public and private collections in the UK and worldwide, including the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff; the Palace of Westminster, London; the National Assembly, Cardiff and the National Library of Wales. Her work is highly collectable, especially the early mining works, which capture a life that has all but disappeared over the last generation.
Valerie Ganz was an elected member of the Royal Cambrian Academy.
She died on 28 September 2015 aged 79.
© Big Sky Fine Art
This magnificent oil painting by Valerie Ganz depicts three miners working deep underground in the overwhelming darkness of a coal mine. Each man wears an orange uniform, one in a vest, the other two in shirts with rolled up sleeves, and a helmet with a headtorch. The beans of pure white light from the headtorches provide the only illumination, showing us that the men are placing a charge to detonate an area of rock, with bright red leads protruding from the rockface. We gain in insight into the danger, importance and dignity of this work and the artist’s immense respect for the men who spend their working lives in these conditions. This is an extremely intimate and atmospheric work, in the exact genre for which Ganz is best known.
- Creator:Valerie Ganz (1936 - 2015, Welsh)
- Dimensions:Height: 20.87 in (53 cm)Width: 24.61 in (62.5 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:This vintage painting is in very good condition, defying its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
- Gallery Location:Sutton Poyntz, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU489314268282
About the Seller
5.0
Gold Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are highly rated and consistently exceed customer expectations.
Established in 2010
1stDibs seller since 2016
111 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Sutton Poyntz, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- The Hosts of Rebecca. Inspired by Alexander Cordell. Riots 19th Century Wales.By Elin Sian BlakeLocated in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetElin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). The Hosts of Rebecca. Oil on artist’s canvas board. Signed lower right. Image size 17.5 inches x 23.6 inches ( 44.5cm x 60cm ). Frame size 20.3 inc...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Making Ripples. The Wanderlust Women Organisation. Tribute to Amira Patel.By Elin Sian BlakeLocated in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetElin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Making Ripples. Oil on artist’s canvas board. Signed lower right. Image size 19.5 inches x 15.6 inches ( 49.5cm x 39.5cm ). Frame size 22.8 inches ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- First Light. Mother & Baby. Welsh Blanket. Love Spoon. Maternal Love.By Elin Sian BlakeLocated in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetElin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). First Light. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Image size 23.4 inches x 17.3 inches ( 59.5cm x 44cm ). Frame size 28.5 inches x 22.4 inches ( 72.5cm x 57cm ). Available for sale; this original painting is by the contemporary Welsh artist Elin Sian Blake. The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic frame (which is shown in these photographs) and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower left. Elin Siân Blake is a contemporary Brecon-based artist, originally from the South Wales valleys, whose work delves deeply into the rich tapestry of Welsh heritage. Through various mediums, she creates poignant reflections of societal and cultural issues that have shaped the Welsh identity. Born in 1981, Elin Siân Blake began producing commissioned artwork from an early age, focussing on the traditional Welsh ponies and landscapes of her childhood. She was particularly inspired by the agricultural and equestrian events she attended. As a teenager she spent all her spare money on art supplies. Blake graduated from the University of Glamorgan in 2002 with a degree in graphic design and illustration, but quickly realised that she wanted to create conventional paintings, rather than producing digital images. She then spent several years living on the road in vintage vehicles, painting the scenes and characters she encountered on her travels. Blake taught herself oil painting using library books, originally producing very detailed photo-realistic images. Her artistic style developed considerably over the years, becoming more expressive. Blake’s main emphasis is always her love of images from the Welsh countryside and industry. As she explores the heritage of the Welsh valleys, she paints a social commentary on everyday Welsh working life. Her work captures the essence of Welsh tradition whilst simultaneously challenging societal norms. Bold and evocative, Blake's art invites the viewer to take a critical look at the complexities and nuances of Welsh heritage. By melding her artistic vision with a profound cultural understanding, she presents a thought-provoking examination of the past, present, and future of Wales. © Big Sky Fine Art This is a stunning and very tender image of a mother and baby, sitting by a window in the first light of a new day. It is all the more intimate because it is in fact a self-portrait of the artist shortly after the birth of her own daughter. The baby is wrapped in a soft cream blanket and is being held to her mother’s breast, feeding or sleeping after feeding. The mother, dazzingly beautiful, is captured in the dappled light of the new dawn. The background is sparse, making the image almost timeless. The young woman is sitting on a modest wooden chair and on the wall behind her is a hand-carved traditional Welsh love spoon...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- When I was a Boy. Upper Class Country Pursuits Interior. Victorian. Edwardian.By John Arthur LomaxLocated in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetJohn Arthur Lomax. English ( b.1857 - d.1923 ). When I was a Boy. Oil on Panel. Signed. Image size 9.5 inches x 11.4 inches ( 24cm x 29cm ). Frame size 17.3 inches x 19.5 inches ( ...Category
Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- War Horse. Lest We Forget. Great War WW1 Remembrance Tribute. Black Bay Horse.By Elin Sian BlakeLocated in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetElin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). War Horse. Lest we forget. Oil on artist’s canvas board. Signed lower left. Image size 23.4 inches x 19.5 inches ( 59.5cm x 49.5cm ). Frame size 28...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Milly with Minstrel. Children with their Pony in Dappled Summer Sunlight.Located in Sutton Poyntz, DorsetHarold Walton Freckleton. English ( b.1890 - d.1979 ). Milly with Minstrel. Oil on Canvas. Signed lower right. Image size 24.4 inches x 29.52 inches ( 62cm x 75cm ). Frame size 30.7 ...Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Animal Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
You May Also Like
- [Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Five Gymnasts in TrainingBy Mark BeardLocated in New York, NYOil on canvas Signed in red, u.r. $16,000.00 + framing This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art movement...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Italian Grotto in Ruins Street Scene with Resting Family 18 Century Oil PaintingLocated in Stockholm, SEVery well executed mid-18th century artwork, rather oil study, depicts resting family sheltering from the scorching midday sun in grotto shape arch in ruined part of town. Mother fee...Category
Mid-18th Century Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsWood, Oil, Wood Panel
- Daytime Watering Hole at Well in French Village 19th Century Oil PaintingLocated in Stockholm, SEThis beautiful painting depicts a crowded scene of a watering hole at a well in the midst of a sunny, hot day, located on the street of a provincial village supposedly located somewh...Category
Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Cardboard
- Pastoral Country Landscape Travelers on a Forest Road 19th century Oil PaintingLocated in Stockholm, SEBrass plate leads to Russian artist Pavel Pavlovich Dzhogin (1834 - 1885). This 19th century oil painting beautifully captures a serene rural scene with travelers on a cart traveling...Category
Late 19th Century Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsWood, Oil, Wood Panel
- Family Portrait Mother with Children Playing Coins Framed Antique Oil PaintingLocated in Stockholm, SEFamily genre scene late 19th early 20th century. The boy, tired of posing for a portrait painter, decided to play by spinning a coin on the table, this game greatly impressed his you...Category
Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsWood, Oil, Cardboard
- The fire withinBy Francien KriegLocated in PUIFLIJK, NLThis piece was nominated for the Figurativas MEAM 2019 and was published in the catalogue. The work is part of my ongoing series: "Precious bodies", a series of paintings about the ...Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Five Gymnasts in Training](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-five-gymnasts-in-training-for-sale/a_9323/a_34005411539182323410/04_Five_Gymnasts_in_Training_980_master.jpg?width=240)
