Stanley Clifford-Smith
Encyclopedia
Stanley Clifford-Smith (1906 - 1968) was an English Expressionist
painter and textile designer who was active as an artist in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
, Stockport
, Cheshire
and was educated in Manchester
and Paris
. In the 1930s he was involved in the carpet trade working firstly as a salesman and later as a designer for James Templeton & Co
in Scotland. It was at this time that he first began to paint.
(1915-2000). The couple left London for Suffolk in 1947. While in East Anglia
he painted mainly religious works much influenced by the French expressionist, Georges Rouault
. In 1952 he moved with his family to Great Bardfield in north west Essex, firstly living in Buck's House, Great Bardfield. In his new home Clifford-Smith was an active member of the Great Bardfield art community during the mid to late 1950s and later became the Honorary Secretary of the group. During the 1950s the Bardfield artists included: John Aldridge
, Edward Bawden
, George Chapman
, Stanley Clifford-Smith, Audrey Cruddas
, Joan Glass, Walter Hoyle, Sheila Robinson, Michael Rothenstein
, Marianne Straub
, among others. The Great Bardfield Artists were diverse in style and rivalled the better known art community at St. Ives
. Clifford-Smith and the other Bardfield artists exhibited in the large 'open house' shows in the isolated village in 1954, 1955 and 1958. These shows attracted thousands of visitors and made the art community famous thanks to national press coverage and several one-off and touring shows in the late 1950s.
The artists work in the 1950s was diverse and included Irish and Italian landscapes, images of ships, as well as hypnotic 'mother and child' portraits. Clifford-Smith received many positive press reviews for his work while at Great Bardfield. In 1958 the artist moved to the Old Bakehouse in Great Bardfield. In the early 1960s the Great Bardfield art community fragmented and Clifford-Smith and his family moved to Little Baddow Hall near Chelmsford
. During his time at Little Baddow
he painted mainly thickly textured monochrome moon portraits. Following his death, the artist had several important exhibitions of his work; a retrospective at The Minories, Colchester
(November 1969), Little Baddow Hall Arts Centre (July 1979) and at the Fry Art Gallery
, Saffron Walden
(September/October 1998). His work is included in several prominent collections including: the Benjamin Britten Foundation, Aldeburgh, Suffolk; the Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend, Essex; and Thaxted Church, Thaxted, Essex. The blog A Splendid Melancholy is dedicated to the artist's work
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
painter and textile designer who was active as an artist in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Early life
The son of a photographer, Clifford-Smith was born in ReddishReddish
Reddish is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of Stockport and southeast of Manchester...
, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and was educated in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In the 1930s he was involved in the carpet trade working firstly as a salesman and later as a designer for James Templeton & Co
James Templeton & Co
The Glasgow based textile company James Templeton & Co was one of the leading carpet manufacturers in Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries. The firm was established in Bridgeton in 1839 by James Templeton 1802-1883. At its peak, its Bridgeton factory employed 3000 people before closing in 1979...
in Scotland. It was at this time that he first began to paint.
Art
During the Second World War, Clifford-Smith was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. After leaving the armed forces, he married the English artist Joan GlassJoan Glass
Elizabeth Joan Glass , was an English textile designer and painter.-Youth:Glass was born in Orpington, Kent. She was the oldest of three daughters born to John Pomeroy Glass and Edith Mary Muirhead. Her father, was a senior partner and later chairman of James Templeton & Co, then one of the leading...
(1915-2000). The couple left London for Suffolk in 1947. While in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
he painted mainly religious works much influenced by the French expressionist, Georges Rouault
Georges Rouault
Georges Henri Rouault[p] was a French Fauvist and Expressionist painter, and printmaker in lithography and etching.-Childhood and education:Rouault was born in Paris into a poor family...
. In 1952 he moved with his family to Great Bardfield in north west Essex, firstly living in Buck's House, Great Bardfield. In his new home Clifford-Smith was an active member of the Great Bardfield art community during the mid to late 1950s and later became the Honorary Secretary of the group. During the 1950s the Bardfield artists included: John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
, Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden, CBE, RA was a British painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He was also famous for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture...
, George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, Stanley Clifford-Smith, Audrey Cruddas
Audrey Cruddas
Audrey Cruddas was an English costume and scene designer, painter and potter. Born in Johannesburg she moved to England with her parents when she was an infant. After leaving school she studied art at St. John's Wood School of Art, Royal Academy Schools and Bram Shaw School of Drawing and...
, Joan Glass, Walter Hoyle, Sheila Robinson, Michael Rothenstein
Michael Rothenstein
William Michael Rothenstein RA was an English printmaker, painter and art teacher.-Early life:Born in Hampstead, London, on 19 March 1908, he was the youngest of four children born to the celebrated artist, Sir William Rothenstein and his wife, Alice Knewstub.-Art:He was home schooled and studied...
, Marianne Straub
Marianne Straub
Marianne Straub was one of the leading designers of textiles in Britain during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.She was born in the village of Amriswil, Switzerland on 23 September 1909. Her father was a textile merchant so it was no surprise that she was soon attracted to a career in textiles. She studied...
, among others. The Great Bardfield Artists were diverse in style and rivalled the better known art community at St. Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
. Clifford-Smith and the other Bardfield artists exhibited in the large 'open house' shows in the isolated village in 1954, 1955 and 1958. These shows attracted thousands of visitors and made the art community famous thanks to national press coverage and several one-off and touring shows in the late 1950s.
The artists work in the 1950s was diverse and included Irish and Italian landscapes, images of ships, as well as hypnotic 'mother and child' portraits. Clifford-Smith received many positive press reviews for his work while at Great Bardfield. In 1958 the artist moved to the Old Bakehouse in Great Bardfield. In the early 1960s the Great Bardfield art community fragmented and Clifford-Smith and his family moved to Little Baddow Hall near Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
. During his time at Little Baddow
Little Baddow
Little Baddow is a large thriving village to the east of Chelmsford, Essex. The name Baddow comes from an Old English word meaning 'bad water', although this probably refers to the meadow area in Great Baddow as opposed to any water mass in Little Baddow...
he painted mainly thickly textured monochrome moon portraits. Following his death, the artist had several important exhibitions of his work; a retrospective at The Minories, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
(November 1969), Little Baddow Hall Arts Centre (July 1979) and at the Fry Art Gallery
Fry Art Gallery
The Fry Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Saffron Walden, Essex, England. In its present form the gallery was established in 1985 and it is managed by the Fry Art Gallery Society...
, Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
(September/October 1998). His work is included in several prominent collections including: the Benjamin Britten Foundation, Aldeburgh, Suffolk; the Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend, Essex; and Thaxted Church, Thaxted, Essex. The blog A Splendid Melancholy is dedicated to the artist's work