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Image Not Available for Stanley Spencer
Stanley Spencer
Image Not Available for Stanley Spencer

Stanley Spencer

Artist (Cookham, England, 1892 - 1979)
Sitter (Cookham, England, 1891 - 1959)
Date1921
Mediumpencil on paper
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 35.4 cm, Width: 25.3 cm
Frame: Height: 59.5 cm, Width: 44 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1980 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG000537
About MeGilbert Spencer attended the Slade School of Art from 1913-1915. He was head of the department of painting and drawing at Glasgow School of Art from 1948-1950 and head of the department of painting and drawing at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts from 1950-1957. He survived Stanley by twenty years and in 1961, he wrote an affectionate memoir of his elder brother.

Like Stanley, when Gilbert came to portaiture he often painted his family and friends. His drawings were amongst the finest and in this example, an expressive, lyrical line captures his brother's relaxed pose and dreamy countenance. Tonally, the emphasis is placed on the heavy black fringe, which became Stanley's distinguishing feature in many of his self-portraits.