Sir Stanley Spencer
Born – Cookham, England 1891
Died – Cookham, England 1959
Although Stanley Spencer trained at the Slade School of Art in London, from 1909-1912, his art reveals him to be an individual spirit, untouched by avant-garde developments of the time. If he looked to the art of the past it was, perhaps, to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Not only did he share a stylistic affinity, but the religious concerns of the Brotherhood are reflected in Spencer’s idiosyncratic painting. He spent his life in Cookham, devoting his art to describing the villiage and his personal experiences of the characters that populated it. His paintings translated sacred incidents and biblical stories into happenings within his local environment. The Resurrection, Cookham is a good example of his artistic inclinations and a monumental work. Characteristically, it was painted piecemeal over a complete drawing. Spencer himself is depicted several times, as is his first wife, Hilda Carline. His relationship with her lingered long after he entered into a second marriage with Patricia Preece; Spencer’s communications even continued beyond Hilda’s death via love letters. His controversial personal life and his experiences of the war fuelled passionate, memorable pictures that are heightened by distortion.
Masterpieces:
- Double Nude Portraits: The Artist and his Second Wife
- Decorative Murals
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About sir stanley spencer
Stanley Spencer
Keith Bell
Buy on Amazon
Stanley Spencer the Man: Correspondence and Reminiscences
Buy on Amazon
Stanley Spencer: An English Vision
Fiona MacCarthy
Buy on Amazon