#Last shift series

‘Wayward Wind’ (1979) by David Carpanini. The faces are proud, self-assured, optimistic enough: Carpanini’s not asking us to pity them. This technique somehow roots the people in the environment – they seem almost to have grown out of the paving stones. The subject of working people in their own towns is typical Carpanini, and so is the slightly distorted, fisheye perspective. More likely they’ve just knocked off for the week and are heading to the pub (though of course, that makes the elegaic interpretation all the more poignant: we know the real Last Shift is coming soon enough). The painting’s rather elegaic title might suggest the mine has today closed forever – but there’s nothing in the men’s faces to indicate depression or even pessimism. Against a backdrop of terraced workers’ houses and a swirling, bruised sky, three donkey-jacketed men – presumably on their way home from the pit – stop a moment to face the viewer. Last Shift – acquired by the RWA in 1996 – is quintessential Carpanini. So said David Lawrence Carpanini, and the particular part of the earth that nourished his own boyhood is – as one glance at his paintings will tell you – industrial South Wales.īorn in 1946 of Welsh-Italian parents in Glamorgan’s Afan Valley, for decades Carpanini has painted the landscapes, mining towns and people of his homeland. “…I believe that man has a special bond with that part of the earth which nourishes his boyhood…”

#Last shift series

Continuing our series showcasing masterpieces from the permanent collection of the RWA is Last Shift by Professor David Carpanini RWA…