STANLEY SPENCER HOME PAGE
Welcome to the Stanley Spencer Web Site. This site is intended as an academic resource for students and others who wish to study Spencer's work. It contains a bibliography and a separate page with comments on the usefulness (or otherwise) of the more important books concerned with Spencer. There is also a chronology of his life to enable those unfamiliar with his work to get some idea of how his ideas developed. I've also included a short guide to the more important collections of his work and a quick look at relevant news items.
This site arose out of my studies at Birkbeck College, London University. Having been an admirer of his work for more than 20 years it seemed a good idea to use him as the subject of my dissertation. In view of his place as one of Britain's most important 20th century artists I was surprised to find he didn't have a dedicated Web site. Which is why this site was created. Fortunately Spencer's biographer Ken Pople has now launched his own site. You'll find a link in the 'Important Collections' and 'News' sections. I would welcome contributions from anyone with an interest in exploring Spencer's work. I'm particularly interested in the psychological aspects of the paintings. He had such a complex mind that I find it difficult to really grasp his psychology, perhaps someone with expertise in this field would like to contribute their thoughts on him. If you have any comments or wish to contribute, especially to the news page, E-mail me. All contributors will receive full acknowledgement of their contribution. You can also leave comments in the Guest Book or just sign it so I can see how wide a readership I have. I now work as a guide at Tate Modern (and soon start at Tate Britain) so I now have a chance to spread the word about this incredible artist. However I am also able to lecture on Spencer, I can be contacted by E-mail. I hope you enjoy the site!
Please Note:
1. There are no reproductions of Spencer's work on this site because of the prohibitive cost. I would have to pay £50 per painting which I can't afford! The Tate has a limited number of reproductions due to copyright problems. You'll have to find his paintings in books!
2. I haven't included any of my writing on the site due to the problems of plagarism. I feel it's important for students to have original ideas rather than relying too much on other people's work! I am quite willing to point students in the right direction if they are having problems, just don't expect me to do all the work! However I can thoroughly recommend Ken Pople's Website which contains a superb long essay on Spencer's life and works. It is at www.stanleyspencer.co.uk
Andrew W Rodgers BA (Hons) MA.
Contents of this Website.
A Bibliography of Stanley Spencer
A look at Some of the most Important Books about Stanley Spencer
