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Notes

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Theodore Major was born in Wigan in 1908 and died in 1999. He left school at 13 to work in a tailor’s shop, but began to develop an interest in art and decided to attend art school. He lived in Appley Bridge near Wigan in two houses overflowing with works of art. Major was a controversial figure during his lifetime, well known for refusing to sell his work and his anti-establishment views. Telegraph poles and their analogy with crucifixion and the cross, human suffering, the over-development of industry and the bleak industrial landscapes of Lancashire were all recurring themes in his work. He sought to provoke the viewer to examine the values of the society in which we live and the world which we have created. Major is known for the great empathy he had with nature, his surroundings and the subjects of his paintings.