Chapter 19
The Artists of Nowhere

Was Heine’s assessment of English creativity unduly harsh? Clearly, he had never beheld a portrait by William Dobson, nor a Turner sunset, nor Joseph Wright of Derby’s An Experiment on a Bird in an Air pump. But the truth is, the works of William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie aside, Britain’s artistic reputation only became world renowned with the ascendency of its irreverent pop music. I know some might snort with horror at such a thought, but if you read that statement again it is hard to disagree.