Harry Clarke (1889–1931) was an Irish artist, book illustrator, and stained glass designer. He was born in Dublin and is considered one of the notable representatives of the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.
Clarke was the son of craftsman Joshua Clarke and showed an early interest in art. He studied at Belvedere College in Dublin and later trained in stained glass at the Dublin Art School. After graduating, he moved to London, where he began working as a book illustrator. In collaboration with the publisher George G. Harrap and Co., he started two major projects that remained unfinished: illustrations for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, interrupted by the Easter Rising, and drawings for The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope.
In 1916, Clarke created illustrations for the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, followed by works for stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Among other texts he illustrated are the tales of Charles Perrault and Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His final illustrated book featured works by Algernon Charles Swinburne, published in 1928.
After his father’s death, Harry and his brother Walter Clarke inherited the stained glass workshop, where Clarke created over 130 windows. This remained his primary occupation, leaving less time for illustration. Unfortunately, both brothers’ health was severely affected by illness and prolonged exposure to toxic materials used in stained glass work. They died within a year of each other; in 1931, Harry Clarke passed away shortly after his brother, from tuberculosis.
Clarke’s style is often compared to that of Aubrey Beardsley, Kay Nielsen, and Edmund Dulac.
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Website | harryclarke.net
Amazon | Harry Clarke
