Charles Haslewood Shannon
British, 1863 - 1937Portrait of the Artist, 1918
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions18 × 11 1/8 in. (45.7 × 28.3 cm)
Image: 9 5/8 × 9 5/16 in. (24.4 × 23.7 cm)
Gift of Mr. Jack B. Pierson in memory of Mr. Robert Martin Purcell, 1979.213
In this lithograph, Charles Hazelwood Shannon captures with great brevity of line and subtle shading a self-portrait that exudes confidence and bravado. His portraits and lithographs are considered his finest work. In 1920, Shannon's stature as a prestigious artist was confirmed when he was elected to the Royal Academy in London, England.
Born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England, Shannon received his formal training in Lambeth, at the City and Guilds Technical Art School, where he met his lifelong friend and artistic collaborator Charles de Sousy Ricketts (1866-1931). Together, they formed the Vale Press which specialized in the production of exquisitely designed pages and bindings for limited editions of popular English classics.
Shannon was known to be highly conservative, and remained aloof from artistic movements of his age, preferring instead the art of the Renaissance, particularly the Venetian masters Giorgione and Titian. Although both Shannon and Ricketts were exceptionally gifted artists, Shannon was considered the more technically accomplished of the two, devoted to perfecting his lithographic technique, woodcut illustrations and portrait painting.
