The life and work of Harry Clarke (1889-1931)

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to describe in detail the life, work and career of the artist, not only in terms of his outstanding talents as a stained glass artist and craftsman and as a book illustrator, but also as a vital force in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement in the early years of this century and an important link between similar movements in England, Scotland and America. His powerful imagination and original use of symbolism, reinforced by a high degree of technical skill, particularly in glass, affected his contemporaries, the students he taught, the Studios he ran in Dublin and standards of design both in Ireland and further afield.