Arthur Wragg (3 January 1903 – 17 August 1976) was a British illustrator. His stark poster-like artwork often dealt with themes of social alienation and spiritual emptiness. All his work was done for publication, rather than in 'fine art' media such as paintings or series of prints. As a result, he has been neglected in comparison with contemporaries such as

Graham Sutherland Graham Vivian Sutherland (24 August 1903 – 17 February 1980) was a prolific English artist. Notable for his paintings of abstract landscapes and for his portraits of public figures, Sutherland also worked in other media, including printmaking ...

and John Piper, but Wragg's choice of medium was an ideological one. As a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

, Wragg wanted his art to speak directly to common people rather than to art-lovers. His vivid, polemical style had considerable influence on other popular forms in the 1940s and 1950s, such as government information posters and advertising. He was born in Eccles, Greater Manchester, and grew up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, along with his sister Amy Wragg, born 1898. He was the son of George Arthur Wragg (a travelling soap salesman for Lively Polly) from Sheffield, Yorkshire, and Alice Smethurst Eckersley (a telegraphist) from Salford, Lancashire (a member of the prominent Williamson family of Salford). He trained at Sheffield School of Art before settling in London as a freelance commercial artist, in which capacity he was in continuous demand for the rest of his life. In the 1920s he contributed mostly to various women's illustrated magazines, but later branched out into book-jackets and work for left-wing newspapers such as ''

Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

'' and ''

Peace News ''Peace News'' (''PN'') is a pacifist magazine first published on 6 June 1936 to serve the peace movement in the United Kingdom. From later in 1936 to April 1961 it was the official paper of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), and from 1990 to 2004 w ...

'' (including cartoons) and illustrations for books and pamphlets about

Christian socialism Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...

, pacifism and social justice. Out of this more committed range of work, and out of the social issues raised by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s, came several books in which Wragg illustrated biblical texts in a politicised way, notably ''The Psalms for Modern Life'' (Selwyn & Blount 1933) which went through several reprints. The simplified block-style and dramatic chiaroscuro effects of these illustrations make them resemble woodcuts rather than pen and ink drawings (misleading some collectors into thinking the books are just reissues of hand-printed original editions) and there are many affinities with the visual-symbolic language of

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

art, although Wragg's agenda is more generalised. Social realities and symbols are blended to convey deprivation, justice, conscience, and the persistence of spiritual values in the alienated urban-industrial environment. A friend and follower of the popular pacifist preacher Canon Dick Sheppard, Wragg became a sponsor of the

Peace Pledge Union The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) is a non-governmental organisation that promotes pacifism, based in the United Kingdom. Its members are signatories to the following pledge: "War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determine ...

and was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

during World War II. After imprisonment, he became an art-teacher in schools, returning to freelance work after the war. His personal style became more airy and more fantastical, and sometimes surreal. From 1953 until his death he produced illustrations for record covers for the Argo record company. As yet there is no catalogue of his work but there is a book about the artist: ''Arthur Wragg: Twentieth-century Prophet and Jester'' (Sansom 2001) by the late Judith Brook, who had been taught art by him at school. Early in his career he featured as the 'Artist of Note' in the long-running magazine ''The Artist'' (Vol XI No 5, July 1936).

Some books illustrated by Arthur Wragg

*The Psalms for Modern Life (Selwyn & Blount 1933) *Jesus Wept (Selwyn & Blount 1935) *Holt - When I was a Prisoner (Miles 1935) * Darling, William - Down But Not Out (George Allen & Unwin 1935) *Szekely - Cosmos, Man and Society (Daniel 1936) *

Walter Greenwood Walter Greenwood (17 December 1903 – 13 September 1974) was an English novelist, best known for the socially influential novel ''Love on the Dole'' (1933). Early life Greenwood was born at 56 Ellor Street, his father's house and hairdres ...

- The Cleft Stick (Selwyn & Blount 1937) *Thy Kingdom Come (Selwyn & Blount 1939) *Seven Words (Heinemann 1939) *Alice through the paper-mill: In Respectful Criticism of the Paper Control and Kindred Matters relating to the Present State of the Trade. A Plea for an Equitable System of Planning whereby to ensure a Measure of Efficiency and a Degree of Order for All Concerned.Alt URL
/ref> *The Lord's Prayer in Black and White (Cape 1946) *Wilde - The Ballad of Reading Gaol (Castle Press 1948) *Purcell - These thy Gods (Longman 1949) *The Song of Songs (Selwyn & Blount 1952) * Flaubert, G. "Bibliomania" (Rodale, 1954) *Willis - Whatever Happened to Tom Mix (Cassell 1970)

Obituary

* ''The Times'', 25 August 1976, JMH ohn M Hobbs

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wragg, Arthur 1903 births 1976 deaths British conscientious objectors British illustrators British socialists People from Eccles, Greater Manchester People from Harrogate