Biography
Clifford Harper (born July 13, 1949) is an artist who describes himself
as a "committed anarchist". He was
born in Chiswick, North London and was expelled from school at
13 and placed on probation at 14, after
which he worked in a series of what he describes as "menial jobs".
An activist in the London squatting and
commune scene during the late 60s onwards, he became a self-taught
artist. Throughout the 70s he was a
prolific illustrator for many radical and alternative publications
such as Undercurrents, Cienfuegos Press
Anarchist Review, and his self-published Class War Comix project.
His distinctive line drawing style was perhaps most typically
exemplified by his utopian 'Visions' series of posters,
commissioned for the Undercurrents' 1974 published anthology
Radical Technology. These illustrated scenes of
post-revolutionary self-sufficiency in urban and rural settings,
and were almost de rigueur decoration for the kitchen wall of
any self-respecting radical's commune, squat or bedsit during
the
1970s. Of these posters Harper writes:
"Funnily enough they were particularly popular in
Spain
following the death of Franco and the liberalisation
that
followed that happy event. I think the reason for
their
success is that although they are utopian images
they
depict an existence that is immediately approachable
--
all it would take is the seizing of a few empty
buildings
and the knocking down of a few meaningless walls..."
Heavily influenced by comic books, Eric Gill and
the narrative
woodcuts of Frans Masereel, Harper's style evolved
in the
1980s into a bolder, more expressionist direction,
with much of
his later artwork resembling wood or lino cuts,
although in fact
he still mainly works in pen and ink.
In 1987 Harper's Anarchy, A Graphic Guide, which he both wrote
and illustrated, was published by Camden Press. Arguably, this
has
become a definitive introduction to the subject, combining a
thorough
overview of anarchism with his distinctive graphic work. As well
as
being one of Britain's leading radical illustrators, Harper remains
a
committed and engaged anarchist activist by continuing his
involvement with the organisation of the UK's annual Anarchist
Bookfair, and small press publishing projects. His work regularly
appears in the British newspaper The Guardian.
A book of Harper's collected illustrations for The Guardian's
regular
Country Diary column was published by Agraphia Press in 2003.
Graphic Anarchy, a free exhibition of his work, was held from
4
April until 30 May 2003 at the [Newsroom] Gallery, 60 Farringdon
Road, London, EC1
Further reading
Books
Radical Technology - includes 6 'Visions' and other
drawings by Clifford Harper (edited by
Peter Harper, Godfrey Boyle and the editors of Undercurrents
Wildwood House, 1976)
The Education Of Desire - The Anarchist Graphics
Of Clifford Harper (Annares Press 1984)
Anarchy, A Graphic Guide (Camden Press 1987)
The Unknown Deserter - the Brief war of Private
Aby Harris in Nine Drawings (Working
Press, 1989)
Visions of Poesy - an Anthology of Anarchist Poetry
(co-edited with Dennis Gould, Freedom
Press, 1990)
Country Diary Agraphia Press, 2003)
External links
An article about Harper's art appears in the Anarchist
publication Organise! here
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Organise%21&action=edit
A show of Clifford's work, "Graphic anarchy" was
held by the Guardian, 17 April-30 May 2003.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/newsroom/story/0,11718,933816,00.html
Agraphia Clifford Harper's official website
http://www.agraphia.uk.com/home.html
[Last updated January 2004]