BIOGRAPHY:

"When in 1968 I turned on, tuned in and dropped out, I brought these skills with me to the anarchist and underground scene. In those days we had very limited access to print-production, colour and half-tones were a scarce luxury, so it was important to be able to produce good black and white, (B/W), or 'line' images - just like in the late 19th century. These limitations were central to my developing my skills and continue to be so - our greatest trial is to be shown our limitations, and our greatest triumph is to accept them. Black and white is really where it's at."
Clifford Harper

Clifford Harper (1949- ) describes himself as "a committed anarchist" and is Britain's leading radical illustrator. He is a self-taught artist and although much of his artwork resembles the wood cuts style of drawing, he in fact works mainly in pen and ink. He was born in London and, after being expelled from school at the age of 14, he began a series of low paying jobs. As a teenager living in the 1960's he was drawn to the ideals of the anarchist movement and lived in communes in Cumberland and in London's Eel Pie Island. During his illustration career he has continued to be directly involved in the radical movement and produced publicity material of the annual Anarchist Bookfair held in London between 1990 and 1999.

However, he has gradually been accepted by the mainstream providing illustrations for many national newspapers and magazines. Since 1989 he has drawn for The Radio Times and from 1996 he began working for The Guardian newspaper, illustrating the Country Diary and Last Word columns in The Saturday Review. Clifford Harper's distinctive style and bold illustrations have made him one of The Guardian's most popular graphic artists.

In 2003 he set up Agraphia Press, dedicated to restoring the balance between illustration and text, and maintaining the tradition of radical and didactic, black and white drawing with the aim of providing accessible, well designed, low priced books and pamphlets.

Resources:
Agraphia Press

Reviews:
The Guardian: Country Diary Drawings

Country Diary Drawings
Agraphia Press, 2003
This is a collection of English country landscapes drawn by Clifford Harper in his distinctive black and white style to illustrate The Guardian newspaper's weekly column Country Diary. Although beautiful, the drawings display a tough and not overly romantic vision of the countryside.

"It's all a bit mysterious, a bit unsettling, a bit uncomfortable."
Richard Boston, Guardian feature writer

Anarchy - A Graphic Guide
Amden Press, 1987
Widely regarded as the best and most accessible introduction to the subject, Anarchy - A Graphic Guide combines a thorough overview of anarchism with distinctive graphic work. It covers nearly a thousand years and explains every variety of anarchism, from individualism to syndicalism, and gives detailed accounts of the lives and ideas of the principal anarchist thinkers and activists, as well as covering all of the major anarchist movements, from the Diggers to the Zapatistas.

"Like all really good ideas, Anarchy is pretty simple when you get down to it - human beings are at their best when they are living free of authority, deciding things among themselves rather than being ordered about."
Clifford Harper

The City Of Dreadful Night
by James Thomson
Agraphia Press, 2003
James Thomson's epic poem The City Of Dreadful Night first appeared in 1874 and achieved in its day some fame and was read by many, but in the decades that followed the poem and the poet sank into obscurity, becoming known only to a few. This poem deserves a new audience and a new fame, especially among those who enjoy the 'London Writers' Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd. Thomson's poem is a deeply questioning and extremely dark vision of the City that we inhabit, but more than that it challenges the illusions that inhabit us.

Books By Clifford Harper:
Country Diary Drawings (2003)
Stamps (1997)
Philosopher Footballers (1997)
Anarchist (1994)
Alphabet (1990)
The Unknown Deserter (1990)
Anarchy - A Graphic Guide (1987)
The Education Of Desire (1984)

Books Illustrated By Clifford Harper:
The City Of Dreadful Night (2003) by James Thomson
The Ballad Of Robin Hood & The Deer (2003) by John Gallas
The Ballad Of Santo Caserio (2003) by John Gallas
Characters Of Fitzrovia (2002) by Mike Pentelow & Marsha Rowe
Timeless Simplicity (2001) by John Lane
Visions of Poesy (1998) by various
Voice Of The Fire (1996) by Alan Moore
Prolegomena (1994) by various
Radical Technology (1976) edited by P Harper & G Boyle