Harold Speed (11 February 1872 – 20 March 1957) was an English

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

in oil and watercolour of portraits, figures and historical subjects. He also wrote instructional books for artists that remain in print. Born in London, the son of Edward Speed, an architect, he studied architecture at the Royal College of Art, but soon took up painting, and 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. Speed was a member of the Art Workers' Guild and was elected as its Master in 1916. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1893, and held his first one-man exhibition in 1907 at the Leicester Galleries. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

. In 1930 he provided paintings for the new chapel of

Wesley House Wesley House was founded as a Methodist theological college (or seminary) in Jesus Lane, Cambridge, England. It opened in 1921 as a place for the education of Methodist ministers and today serves as a gateway to theological scholarship for ...

, 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. His other publications include ''The Science and Practice of Oil Painting'' (1924) and ''What is the Good of Art?'' (1936).National Portrait Gallery website

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Speed, Harold 1872 births 1957 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters English watercolourists English portrait painters People from Watlington, Oxfordshire Olympic competitors in art competitions Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists