Arterial Man

Details

Humphrey Spender (1910-2005)
Arterial Man
signed 'H.Spender' (lower left)
oil on board
10¾ x 13¾ in. (17.3 x 35 cm.)
Painted in 1940.

Exhibited

London, Redfern Gallery, An Exhibition of British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, February - March 1986, no. 51.
Aldeburgh, Peter Pears Gallery, Festival Exhibition, June 2006, no. 27.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

Humphrey Spender, the brother of the poet Stephen Spender, played a central role in the early years of the mass observation research project based in Bolton. He surreptitiously recorded, through photography, the people of Bolton within the public and private domains of work and leisure. Within this context he became aware of man's imprint on the land. Industrial Landscape with Pylons reflects these deep concerns and seems to pre-empt the impending desolation that is about to sweep Europe.

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