Philip Larkin
1 portrait matching these criteria:
- place 'Yorkshire'
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Philip Larkin
by Humphrey Ocean
acrylic on canvas, 1984
20 5/8 in. x 17 5/8 in. (523 mm x 448 mm)
Commissioned, 1984
Primary Collection
NPG 5746
On display in Room 28 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
Artistback to top
- Humphrey Ocean (Humphrey Anthony Erdeswick Butler-Bowdon) (1951-), Painter. Artist or producer of 12 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Painted in the attic of Larkin's house in Newland Park, Hull. The poet liked living high up among trees and roofs, and many of his poems reflect this.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 365
Placesback to top
- Place made and portrayed: United Kingdom: England, Yorkshire (sitter's home, Newland Park, Hull, Yorkshire)
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Icons and Idols: Commissioning Contemporary Portraits (2 March 2006 - 18 June 2006)
- Britain 1960-1990 (From 18 September 2004)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1984back to top
Current affairs
The Provisional IRA bomb the Grand Hotel in Brighton where various politicians, including the Prime Minister, where staying for the annual Conservative Party conference. The bomb killed five people including a conservative MP, but no members of the cabinet. Thatcher began the next session of the conference the following morning at 9.30 as planned saying: 'all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.'Art and science
Dr Alec Jeffreys discovers that patterns in an individual's DNA can be identified and that each person has a unique 'genetic fingerprint'. The technique was soon utilised by forensic scientists to help in criminal investigations, and in order to identify human remains, for paternity testing, and to match organ donors.Ted Hughes is appointed poet Laureate.
International
Ethiopia suffers severe drought and famine. The Ethiopian government responded by uprooting large numbers of peasants in the worst affected areas and by setting up new villages for the displaced people. However, the planned villages were frequently poorly equipped and many people chose to flee rather than acquiesce with government plans leading to further decline in food production and bringing the total death toll to over 1 million.Comments back to top
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