The Art of Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement and is best known for his stained glass

designs and book illustrations. In respect of his book illustrations, he is one of the artists associated with the Golden Age of

Illustration.

The Harry Clarke Collection at Spirit of the Ages includes art images from some of Clarke's seminal work. As a valuable

reference resource, options are also provided for purchasing a range of gifts, including reproduction prints, posters and

greeting cards.

''Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen'' was his first published work, although he had previously been working on illustrations

to accompany Coleridge's ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' - work which had been destroyed in Dublin's devastating 1916 Easter

Uprising. A number of commissions followed ''Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen'', including ''The Fairy Tales of Charles

Perrault'' and his contributions to ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination'' - a project that established his stellar reputation as an

illustrator.

His second to last project, "Faust" is considered his most important as it is a precursor to the evocative psychedelic imagery

that has come to be associated with artwork from the 1960s. "Selected Poems of Algernon Swinburne" was his final

commission and, due to the licentious nature of Clarke's illustrations, that title was banned in Ireland.

We invite you to take the time to peruse the wonderful artwork from Harry Clarke that is included in the Collection - to view images from any one of Clarke's suites or illustrations listed below, simply 'click' on the hyperlinks embedded within the titles and the images.                 To the left, we show a vintage photograph of Harry Clarke.