Stanley Anderson

Original Stanley Anderson line engraving.

Very fine signed proof impression with crisp clarity of line as issued by the Print Collectors’ Club, with the Club’s monogram in the plate. From the only edition of 109 signed proofs.

At the end of the 1920’s Stanley Anderson moved away from the use of drypoint as his primary printmaking technique, favouring instead the linear clarity of pure line engraving. During the following two decades he used this technique to produce an outstanding body of remarkable images depicting the traditional crafts and activities of rural England. The Stone-Breaker is at the heart of this body of work; dating from 1940, this outstanding study of a rural labourer was chosen by the Print Collectors’ Club as a presentation plate to represent one of the year’s finest examples of original printmaking in England.

Indeed, Stanley Anderson was one of the earliest protagionists in the modern revival of line engraving in England. His exceptionally precise technique was the result of seven years of training as a working engraver of decorative silverware. Once established amongst the leading printmakers of his generation, Anderson applied his outstanding knowledge of line engraving technique to his creative work as a graphic artist. It is through his line engravings, such as The Stone-Breaker, that Stanley Anderson has now achieved lasting fame and, in consequence, they have become his most sought-after works.

The quote from Hood which Stanley Anderson gives beneath the image reads “What’s life but full of care and doubt, with all its fine humanities”. The newspaper which lies on the ground in front of the weary workmen reads “Christian Times. Power politics and sentimentality breed greed and national idolatry, hence war. Christ’s way, the way to peace”.

On cream wove paper with full margins. Very mild time tone in outer margins only, otherwise very fine original condition. Image surface excellent.