Sudanese Head Study - 1936 (title to be confirmed)
This, and the following two images are the first works recorded in the book Mary kept of the creation, exhibition and sale of her work. This portrait drawing was not exhibited until 1949, at the R.B.A.
Achmid, Sudan - 1936
Sudanese Head Study - 1936
Portrait Drawing - 1936
Portrait drawing - 1936 - Mary Kent Harrison
Janie - 1937
Exhibited :
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
The Shepherds - preparatory sketch - title to be confirmed - late 1930's early 1940's
Study After Michelangelo - 1938 - Mary Kent Harrison
Study After Michelangelo - 1938 - Mary Kent Harrison
Exhibited :
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Study After Titian - 1938
Exhibited :
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Study After Velasquez - 1937
Exhibited :
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Brook Street Galleries - 1940
Portrait Drawing - 1930's
Kent Harrison circa 1939
Kent Harrison circa 1939
Mary Kent Harrison - Self Portrait - 1940
Mary Kent Harrison - Self Portrait - 1940
Painters usually create self portraits quite a few times during their careers but this is the only self portrait she painted. A record of the painting is absent from the book in which Mary noted the creation, exhibition and sale of her work, and it seems the painting was not exhibited during her lifetime. Mary painted many commission portraits along with those of family and friends.
This self portraitwas painted in 1940, the year of her one woman show at The Brook Street Galleries, New Bond Street, London.
This self portraitwas painted in 1940, the year of her one woman show at The Brook Street Galleries, New Bond Street, London.
Mary Kent Harrison - 'Malcolm' - An early portrait of the artist's son Malcolm. - Oil paint on canvas - 1945
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Head Study 'Second World War' - 1943 - Mary Kent Harrison
The elongated neck and sloping shoulder line emphasize the vertical and the sense of isolation and solitude in this striking, stark drawing.
Here is the desolate soul of the active participant in war and the self as witness to its horror. All innocence gone. The sense of universal disillusion and the darkest sadness that cannot be softened by the mere hope of victory, or undone even by the eventual cessation of the guns. A silent scream that no victory could ever silence, and no music or saccharine gratitude drown out.
Portrait of Howard Marryat - 1944
Portrait of Howard Marryat - 1944, by Mary Kent Harrison.
An image of this painting was published in the December 1946 edition of The Electrical Contractor and Retailer of which Howard Marryat was President between 1922-23 and 1934-35. Howard Marryat (Mary Kent Harrison's father) was a successful electrical engineer. He was a founder member of the Electrical Contractors Association, serving on the Council of that body from its inception in 1904 until the time of his death in 1944. He eventually specialized in the design and manufacture of lifts. In the early 1900's, he took over a company called Richmond Lifts. Around 1920, Murray Scott joined and the company was called Marryat & Scott. The company continued after Howard Marryat's death and was taken over by Kone in 1979. There are many Marryat & Scott lifts still in operation.
Apart from his technical and engineering work, he was also a writer and journalist. He founded the Electrical Contractor in 1903, and in 1912 founded his own journal, the Engineering Gazette. He was the author of 'Watches : From Henlein to Tompion" published in 1938, 'Evolution of the Pocket Watch' and, and in collaboration with Una Broadbent, M.A. he wrote 'The Romance Of Hatton Gardens' published in 1930.
He was deeply interested in Art and Craftsmanship, particularly watches. His collection of historic watches was described as 'the finest assembly of watches in private hands in this country'. On completing a revision of the catalogue of watches in the Guildhall Museum, he was made a Freeman of The City Of London. In March 1944 he delivered a lecture on the evolution of watchmaking to the Royal Institution, of which he was a member. He was a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company Of Clockmakers.
Howard Marryat generously supported the RNLI who named a lifeboat after him which is still in existence though decommissioned. It is believed to have been in service in at Fishguard, south-west Wales.
'H.M.' as his friends called him, was respected and loved by all who knew him. The photograph below illustrated what a very good likeness his daughter achieved with this painting. It is likely that she also painted a portrait of Mr H.J.Cash, of The Electrical Contractors Association. In 1944. Both paintings are believed to have been destroyed in 1944 during the wartime bombing of London.
Apart from his technical and engineering work, he was also a writer and journalist. He founded the Electrical Contractor in 1903, and in 1912 founded his own journal, the Engineering Gazette. He was the author of 'Watches : From Henlein to Tompion" published in 1938, 'Evolution of the Pocket Watch' and, and in collaboration with Una Broadbent, M.A. he wrote 'The Romance Of Hatton Gardens' published in 1930.
He was deeply interested in Art and Craftsmanship, particularly watches. His collection of historic watches was described as 'the finest assembly of watches in private hands in this country'. On completing a revision of the catalogue of watches in the Guildhall Museum, he was made a Freeman of The City Of London. In March 1944 he delivered a lecture on the evolution of watchmaking to the Royal Institution, of which he was a member. He was a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company Of Clockmakers.
Howard Marryat generously supported the RNLI who named a lifeboat after him which is still in existence though decommissioned. It is believed to have been in service in at Fishguard, south-west Wales.
'H.M.' as his friends called him, was respected and loved by all who knew him. The photograph below illustrated what a very good likeness his daughter achieved with this painting. It is likely that she also painted a portrait of Mr H.J.Cash, of The Electrical Contractors Association. In 1944. Both paintings are believed to have been destroyed in 1944 during the wartime bombing of London.
Photograph of Mary Kent Harrison with her father, Howard Marryat at the doorway to the family home at The Terrace, Richmond Hill in the spring of 1940.
Photograph of Mary with her father, Howard Marryat at the doorway to the family home at The Terrace, Richmond Hill in the spring of 1940. The doorway and wrought iron work remain unchanged to this day.
Howard Marryat - 1944
A sense of warmth, paternal friendliness and understanding emanates from this pencil study of her father.
Mary Kent Harrison - 'Howard Marryat'
Maude Matilda Marryat. nee Maude Matilda Mootham. Wife of Howard Marryat and mother of Mary Kent Harrison.(nee Marryat)
Photograph of Mary's mother, Maude Matilda Marryat. One of Mary's paintings (The Farm) in progress on the easel in the background.
Preparatory sketch
Preparatory sketch
The Rocking Horse - 1940's
The Rocking Horse - 1940's - Sketch/Study
The family rocking horse, ridden by all seven of MKH's children!
Portrait Drawing - 1940's
Portrait sketch, details unknown
The Clinic - study for an oil painting - 1944
The Clinic - 1944
Mary kent Harrison - 'the Clinic' (Upper Richmond Road) - 1944
Exhibited:
AIA - 1944
USA (touring exhibition) - 1945
This painting (The Clinic) is on the back of a later MKH painting. The painting and the drawing made for it provide a generous insight into the local health authority children's clinics of the 1940's. The clinic was situated in Upper Richmond Road. It is a wonderful and carefully constructed composition, and reveals MKH's attraction to complex figure compositions. Paintings incorporating a high number of figures are a recurring theme in her work. To decide to make a painting of such a place reveals an interest in recording the social/community life of the times. She would have attended this clinic with her first children and possibly made sketches whilst waiting for her children's turn to be weighed, have their height measured and recorded, etc, etc. It is interesting to study the preparatory drawing and see the changes she made as she developed the visual narrative of the painting, for example the overturned pram in the drawing was perhaps considered inappropriate or too likely to clutter the middle field of the painting and was returned to an upright position in the final painting.
The four groups of figures lead the eye into and around the painting. The front group of children arrest the eye with their fascination for the toy horse. The childrens toys in the form of the horse on wheels, teddy bear, doll and dolls house provide some relief and welcome distraction to what look like the rather austere surroundings of this 1940's clinic. The second figure group along the left hand side comprise of no less than seven figures. The adults appear to be sitting rather uncomfortably on chairs or benches and are having to keep their children occupied and comforted whilst they wait. The triangular shape of the arms of the nurse in the background of this group help to unify this section of the painting. It is as if the nurse is literally holding it all together in a matronly way. In the middle space of the painting is the third figure group where two or three nurses are carrying out their work. An infant is being weighed rather like a quantity of vegetables in a grocers shop in what looks from our time like very basic weighing scales. The height of another infant is being measured. Nurse records the statistics. The openness of it all seems remarkable. Despite the notable depiction of the screen to the right of the composition, the waiting and the examination are both in the same space. Perhaps not unusual in 1945, the last year of the war. One can almost hear the sounds emanating from this busy room. The fourth group of figures comprise of three women waiting on a bench at the far end of the room by the window. Simplified slightly from the the preparatory drawing the soft blue colours of their clothing are in contrast to the warmer colours of the foreground figures and their less well defined features help create a sense of distance, as does the pleasant looking view from the window. Refreshing green summer trees, a road and houses lead the eye away outside and into the fresh air.
Throughout the painting there is a striking use of vertical, horizontal and angular lines. There are the horizontal anchors of the windowsill and nurses desk and the vertical of the storage shelves, screen and sides of the widow. Set against these are the angles that explore the perspective of the space and recall MKH's careful studies in perspective at Art School. For example the angle of the roof of the dolls house follows through to the angle of the pram and is finally arrested by the angle of the nurses outstretched arms in the upper left hand area of the painting. Arms and legs depicted in the painting almost always have a function of creating a sense of movement and space. Their angles relate to one another in a subtle rhythm and counterpoint. The importance of these abstract elements goes hand in hand with the treatment of the facial features of the figures in the painting. They too seem slightly abstracted. All the faces seem to have been treated equally. None seem more expressive than another. The faces seem to have been simplified to basic formal elements.
AIA - 1944
USA (touring exhibition) - 1945
This painting (The Clinic) is on the back of a later MKH painting. The painting and the drawing made for it provide a generous insight into the local health authority children's clinics of the 1940's. The clinic was situated in Upper Richmond Road. It is a wonderful and carefully constructed composition, and reveals MKH's attraction to complex figure compositions. Paintings incorporating a high number of figures are a recurring theme in her work. To decide to make a painting of such a place reveals an interest in recording the social/community life of the times. She would have attended this clinic with her first children and possibly made sketches whilst waiting for her children's turn to be weighed, have their height measured and recorded, etc, etc. It is interesting to study the preparatory drawing and see the changes she made as she developed the visual narrative of the painting, for example the overturned pram in the drawing was perhaps considered inappropriate or too likely to clutter the middle field of the painting and was returned to an upright position in the final painting.
The four groups of figures lead the eye into and around the painting. The front group of children arrest the eye with their fascination for the toy horse. The childrens toys in the form of the horse on wheels, teddy bear, doll and dolls house provide some relief and welcome distraction to what look like the rather austere surroundings of this 1940's clinic. The second figure group along the left hand side comprise of no less than seven figures. The adults appear to be sitting rather uncomfortably on chairs or benches and are having to keep their children occupied and comforted whilst they wait. The triangular shape of the arms of the nurse in the background of this group help to unify this section of the painting. It is as if the nurse is literally holding it all together in a matronly way. In the middle space of the painting is the third figure group where two or three nurses are carrying out their work. An infant is being weighed rather like a quantity of vegetables in a grocers shop in what looks from our time like very basic weighing scales. The height of another infant is being measured. Nurse records the statistics. The openness of it all seems remarkable. Despite the notable depiction of the screen to the right of the composition, the waiting and the examination are both in the same space. Perhaps not unusual in 1945, the last year of the war. One can almost hear the sounds emanating from this busy room. The fourth group of figures comprise of three women waiting on a bench at the far end of the room by the window. Simplified slightly from the the preparatory drawing the soft blue colours of their clothing are in contrast to the warmer colours of the foreground figures and their less well defined features help create a sense of distance, as does the pleasant looking view from the window. Refreshing green summer trees, a road and houses lead the eye away outside and into the fresh air.
Throughout the painting there is a striking use of vertical, horizontal and angular lines. There are the horizontal anchors of the windowsill and nurses desk and the vertical of the storage shelves, screen and sides of the widow. Set against these are the angles that explore the perspective of the space and recall MKH's careful studies in perspective at Art School. For example the angle of the roof of the dolls house follows through to the angle of the pram and is finally arrested by the angle of the nurses outstretched arms in the upper left hand area of the painting. Arms and legs depicted in the painting almost always have a function of creating a sense of movement and space. Their angles relate to one another in a subtle rhythm and counterpoint. The importance of these abstract elements goes hand in hand with the treatment of the facial features of the figures in the painting. They too seem slightly abstracted. All the faces seem to have been treated equally. None seem more expressive than another. The faces seem to have been simplified to basic formal elements.
Portrait Of Miss Barbara Ping - 1944/5
Commission portrait - 1947
In this curious portrait, the subject is wearing ballet shoes, and what is likely to be a national, or character dance costume designed and made by MKH. The garments draped over the right hand side of the high back sofa are evidence perhaps that this is a moment of rest at some point during one of the many costume fitting sessions in MKH's home in Wimbledon at the time during which she was making and designing dance costumes on a considerable scale. The feeling of informality is conveyed by the draped garments, the relaxed posture of the subject with one leg allowed on the sofa and the right hand, which dangles limply over the book for which the sitter, distracted by something going on in the room, seems to have little interest. The left leg with its strangely pointed foot tightly bound in a ballet shoe, and the subjects large looking face are other factors that contribute to the fascination of this carefully composed portrait.
Title unknown. Painted on the reverse side of "December Flowers' and depicting a dance class. - 1957
The Christening - 1947/8 (date to be confirmed)
Exhibited :
R.B. A.,1948.
(Image reproduction quality will hopefully be improved).
R.B. A.,1948.
(Image reproduction quality will hopefully be improved).
Durham Miner - 1942
Exhibited R.B.A 1953.
In the Government Art Collection. (G.A.C. 2293)
In the Government Art Collection. (G.A.C. 2293)
Portrait Of Jane Gallie - 1953
Exhibited : R.B.A. 1953
Elinor, In The Drawing Room - 1954
Mary Kent Harrison - 'Elinor, In The Drawing Room' - 1954
Exhibited :
N.E.A.C. 1955.
R.S.P.P, 1957.
R.B.A. 1960.
The subject seems absorbed in the board game in this tender, skilfully composed portrait, but one can't help wondering what grown up giant usually sits in this chair.
N.E.A.C. 1955.
R.S.P.P, 1957.
R.B.A. 1960.
The subject seems absorbed in the board game in this tender, skilfully composed portrait, but one can't help wondering what grown up giant usually sits in this chair.
Mary Kent Harrison - 'The Christmas Tree' - circa 1940's
The Christmas Tree.
circa 1940's. This delightful family painting is of Mary's first three children. Mary and Kent senior are also depicted standing at the open doorway looking into the room where presents are being opened on Christmas day. The painting was 'discovered' on the reverse of Mary's painting 'The Absinthe Jar'.
The brightness of the colour is particularly interesting. The blue of the box lower right and the red of the tricycle are incredibly bright, almost primary. It could be that the brightness is due to the fact that the painting had been covered, away from daylight for so long. If that is the case, then it casts a different light on the original impact many of her early paintings would have had whereby the colours would have been far stronger than they appear now. The professional cleaning of many of the early pictures may reveal their original vibrancy.
Painters often 'turned' their canvases, usually for reasons of economy so that the reverse of the canvas could be utilized. For the devotee of the artist's work, this is almost tragic. Usually, and very likely in this case, a considerable amount of the original image around the edges is lost or cropped as a side effect of the turning process. Looking at the edges of this composition, it is clear that a great deal has been cropped, equal to the width of the stretcher on which the canvas is supported. The first 'turned' painting can never really be seen properly. Looking at this painting, it seems extraordinary that Mary had some reason to carry out such a drastic act. At least the painting has not been destroyed, which would have been the ultimate tragedy, even if no one knew.
circa 1940's. This delightful family painting is of Mary's first three children. Mary and Kent senior are also depicted standing at the open doorway looking into the room where presents are being opened on Christmas day. The painting was 'discovered' on the reverse of Mary's painting 'The Absinthe Jar'.
The brightness of the colour is particularly interesting. The blue of the box lower right and the red of the tricycle are incredibly bright, almost primary. It could be that the brightness is due to the fact that the painting had been covered, away from daylight for so long. If that is the case, then it casts a different light on the original impact many of her early paintings would have had whereby the colours would have been far stronger than they appear now. The professional cleaning of many of the early pictures may reveal their original vibrancy.
Painters often 'turned' their canvases, usually for reasons of economy so that the reverse of the canvas could be utilized. For the devotee of the artist's work, this is almost tragic. Usually, and very likely in this case, a considerable amount of the original image around the edges is lost or cropped as a side effect of the turning process. Looking at the edges of this composition, it is clear that a great deal has been cropped, equal to the width of the stretcher on which the canvas is supported. The first 'turned' painting can never really be seen properly. Looking at this painting, it seems extraordinary that Mary had some reason to carry out such a drastic act. At least the painting has not been destroyed, which would have been the ultimate tragedy, even if no one knew.
Title unknown
Nothing is currently known about this painting to the writer, other than that it is unmistakably a Mary Kent Harrison painting. The size of the material that is being sewn or mended seems to be most extraordinary. Cascading like a river from, or to the subjects lap, it gives rise to the slightly surreal dreamlike quality of this image. One feels for the woman depicted in the painting as the sewing task embarked upon here seems destined to last for an eternity.
Portrait of the artist's daughter
Exhibited at The Royal Academy and the study for an oil painting. A strikingly challenging and brave choice of posture in which to portray her subject and executed with extraordinary confidence, skill and sensitivity. The expression of intense concentration, coiled energy and imminent movement is created by the angular cross composition of the limbs, the tension in the arm and tightly clenched hands, and the expression on the face ever so subtly tilted away from absolute profile.
Oil sketch
Dandelion Fairy - Mary Kent Harrison
Mary Kent Harrison - 'Dandelion Fairy'
Portrait drawing of the artist's son Kent, 1959
Exhibited : R.B.A 1959
N.E.A.C. 1961
R.B.A. 1970
Galery One, Settle, 1972
Vernon Gallery, Preston, 1974
Gawthorpe Hall. 1980
N.E.A.C. 1961
R.B.A. 1970
Galery One, Settle, 1972
Vernon Gallery, Preston, 1974
Gawthorpe Hall. 1980
Mary Kent Harrison 'Child at the Barre' .
Mary Kent Harrison - Drawing of the artist's daughter Lucy Harrison.
Costume design, 1970's
Portrait (title unknown) - c.1972
