Harold Speed (1872-1958)
| Artist Name | Harold Speed (1872-1958) |
|---|---|
| Title | Alcantara Bridge of Toledo 1894 |
| Description | This atmospheric Victorian Spanish landscape oil painting is by noted British artist Harold Speed. It was painted in 1894 in a wonderful soft focus Impressionist palette of greys, blues and greens. The peaceful composition is a river flowing under the beautiful arched Alcantara stone bridge at Toledo, with hills and trees beyond. A figure is sat by the edge of the river with a lantern beside him and lights can be seen at various locations. The square brushwork is tremendous and the use of white make this a very light and bright painting and an excellent example of Speed's work. A similar painting of the bridge, also from 1894 is in the Tate Gallery, London. The Alcántara Bridge (also known as Trajan's Bridge at Alcantara) is a Roman bridge at Alcántara, in Extremadura, Spain. Alcántara is from the Arabic word al-QanTarah (القنطرة) meaning "the bridge". The stone arch bridge was built over the Tagus River between 104 and 106 AD by an order of the Roman emperor Trajan in 98. Signed lower right. |
| Provenance | London 2012. Haunch of Venison Gallery |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 36 x 29 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a complementary frame, 44 inches by 37 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Harold Speed (1872-1957) was an English painter in oil and watercolour of portraits, figures and historical subjects. Born in London, the son of Edward Speed, an architect, he studied architecture at the Royal College of Art, but soon took up painting. He continued his studies at the Royal Academy Schools between 1891 and 1896, winning a gold medal and a travelling scholarship in 1893. In 1896 he was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1893 and held his first one-man exhibition in 1907 at the Leicester Galleries. In 1930 he provided paintings for the new chapel of Wesley House, Cambridge. Speed lived in Watlington, Oxfordshire and London, where he died on 20 March 1957. Because of their intelligent combination of useful advice and sensitive reflection on the nature and meaning of artistic practice, Harold Speed's instructional manuals on drawing and painting have long been considered valuable resources for artists. There are editions of his manual "The Practice and Science of Drawing" (1913) in the public domain. |
| Price | £8500 |
