Clifford Harper (born 13 July 1949 in
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
, West London) is a worker, illustrator, and militant
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
. He wrote ''Anarchy: A Graphic Guide'' in 1987. He is a long-term contributor to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper and many other publications.
Personal life
Clifford Harper is a worker, illustrator and militant anarchist. He was born in Chiswick, West London – at that time within Middlesex – on 13 July 1949. His father was a postman and his mother a cook. Expelled from school at 13 and placed on two years probation at 14, he then worked in a series of "menial jobs" before "turning on, tuning in, and dropping out" in 1967.
After living in a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
, he started a commune on
Eel Pie Island
Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above the only lock on the Tideway and is accessible by boat or from the left (generall ...
in the River Thames near
Richmond, Surrey
Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commis ...
, in 1969.
In 1971, he took part in the All London Squatters organization,
squatting
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
in
Camden,
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nort ...
, then
Stepney Green,
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
, and
Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
in
South East London, while being very active in anarchist circles. In 1974, he settled in
Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
, where he has lived ever since. Harper has long-term health issues and suffered a heart attack in 2006.
Illustrator
From the early 1970s onwards, Harper became a prolific illustrator for many anarchist, radical, alternative and mainstream publications, organisations, groups and individuals.
He self-published his own ''Class War Comix'' and illustrated for among others ''
Undercurrents'' magazine and books on
Stuart Christie
Stuart Christie (10 July 1946 – 15 August 2020) was a Scottish anarchist writer and publisher. When aged 18, Christie was arrested while carrying explosives to assassinate the Spanish caudillo, General Francisco Franco. He was later alleged ...
's Cienfuegos Press.
Heavily influenced by
George Grosz
George Grosz (; born Georg Ehrenfried Groß; July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings and paintings of Berlin life in the 1920s. He was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objec ...
,
Félix Vallotton
Félix Édouard Vallotton (; December 28, 1865December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as . He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut. He painted portra ...
,
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...
,
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...
and in particular the narrative
woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
s of
Frans Masereel
Frans Masereel (31 July 1889 – 3 January 1972) was a Flemish painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France, known especially for his woodcuts focused on political and social issues, such as war and capitalism. He completed over ...
, Harper's style evolved in the 1980s in a bolder,
expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
direction, with much of his later work resembling woodcut, although he mainly works in pen and ink, and watercolour.
Harper has published work in all major UK newspapers.
He is a regular and longterm contributor to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper.
Since 1996, he has supplied illustrations for the ''
Country Diary
''Country Diary'' is a daily natural history column in the English newspaper ''The Guardian'', first published in November 1906. It is also now freely available on the newspaper's website. Past and present contributors include Pete Bowler, Arnol ...
'' column and between 1999 and 2002, he illustrated the ''Last Word'' column written by philosopher
AC Grayling.
''Anarchy: A Graphic Guide'', which Harper wrote and illustrated, was published by Camden Press in 1987. It begins: "Like all really good ideas, Anarchy is pretty simple when you get down to it - Human beings are at their very best when they are living free of authority, deciding things among themselves rather than being ordered about. That's what 'Anarchy' means - 'Without Government'.
Harper had a strong association with
Freedom Press
Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house and bookseller in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the country and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is bas ...
from 1969 up to 2005 as well as many other anarchist groups, publications and individuals. Harper remains an engaged anarchist activist, having been involved with organising the UK's annual
Anarchist Bookfair, re-designing Freedom newspaper in 2005, producing books, pamphlets, posters, book covers, postcards and drawings for, and supporting, anarchists everywhere. His drawings have been used and reproduced by anarchists and others in nearly every country of the world.
''Stamps: Designs for anarchist postage stamps'' was published by Rebel Press in 1997, with an essay by
Colin Ward
Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010) . It contained 16 portraits of figures such as
Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman (November 21, 1870June 28, 1936) was a Russian-American anarchist and author. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century, famous for both his political activism and his writing.
B ...
,
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...
,
Louise Michel
Louise Michel (; 29 May 1830 – 9 January 1905) was a teacher and important figure in the Paris Commune. Following her penal transportation to New Caledonia she embraced anarchism. When returning to France she emerged as an important French a ...
and
Herbert Read
Sir Herbert Edward Read, (; 4 December 1893 – 12 June 1968) was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read ...
. Harper also wrote an afterword.
''Graphic Anarchy'', an exhibition of his work, was held in 2003 at the Newsroom Gallery, London.
In March 2020, a plaque made by Harper was unveiled in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, making tribute to the
Tolpuddle Martyrs
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who, in 1834, were convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. They were arrested on ...
. In 1837, some of the martyrs returned to Dorset from Australia after being pardoned.
Bibliography
*''Class War Comix - New Times'' (Epic, 1974 & Last Gasp, 1979)
*''Radical Technology'' - includes six "Visions" and other drawings by Clifford Harper (edited by Peter Harper,
Godfrey Boyle Godfrey Boyle (1945 – 2019) was a British author and academic who was a leading figure in the British alternative technology movement, and an authority on sustainability and renewable energy.
He was the founder of ''Undercurrents'', the pioneer ...
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'' - A6 chapbook (Working Press, 1989)
*''An Alphabet'' - A6 chapbook (Working Press, 1989)
*''Anarchists: Thirty Six Picture Cards'' (
Freedom Press
Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house and bookseller in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the country and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is bas ...
,1994)
*''Prologemena to a Study of the Return of the Repressed in History'' (Rebel Press, 1994)
*''Visions of Poesy - an Anthology of Anarchist Poetry'' (co-edited with Dennis Gould and Jeff Cloves, Freedom Press, 1994)
*''Stamps: Anarchist Postage Stamps for after the Revolution'' (Rebel Press, 1997)
*''Philosopher Footballers: Sporting Heroes of Intellectual Distinction'' (Philosophy Football, 1997)
*''The Guardian Country Diary Drawings'' (Agraphia Press, 2003)
*''The Ballad of Robin Hood and the Deer'' (Agraphia Press, 2003)
*''The Ballad of Santo Caserio'' (Agraphia Press, 2003)
*''The City of Dreadful Night'' (Agraphia Press, 2003)
See also
*
Anarchism in the arts
Anarchism has long had an association with the arts, particularly with visual art, music and literature. This can be dated back to the start of anarchism as a named political concept, and the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon on the French real ...
*
Libertarian socialism
Libertarian socialism, also known by various other names, is a left-wing,Diemer, Ulli (1997)"What Is Libertarian Socialism?" The Anarchist Library. Retrieved 4 August 2019. anti-authoritarian, anti-statist and libertarianLong, Roderick T. (201 ...
References
External links
AgraphiaOfficial website
* ''Anarchy: A Graphic Guide'' o
Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Clifford
1949 births
Living people
People from Chiswick
English anarchists
English illustrators
Squatters
English male non-fiction writers
English artists
20th-century English non-fiction writers
21st-century English writers