8 March 2016

stephen-crowther-self-portrait copy

Stephen Crowther (1922-2007) painted this self-portrait in 1941 when he was 19. Born in Sheffield, he studied at the College of Art there, then won the Royal College of Art scholarship the year he painted this portrait (unsurprisingly). War service intervened but he eventually went to the Royal College in 1946, studying under Gilbert Spencer, Rodrigo Moynihan and Carel Weight. From 1950-87 he was a lecturer in drawing and painting at Cleveland College of Art & Design, Hartlepool. There are a few more details about this unsung genius here and here.