Eric Kennington

[1888-1960]

Painter, draughtsman,
pastel artist and sculptor

Lawrence and Kennington met in 1920, after Lawrence had bought two of his pictures, and Lawrence immediately asked him to go to Arabia to work on portraits for his projected book. Kennington returned with a striking collection which was exhibited at the Leicester Galleries in 1921, and subsequently became art editor both of the subscribers' edition of SP and of the Cape edition of 1935. Kennington himself produced five wood-cuts, including the two end-paper illustrations, eleven line drawings printed within the text, five water colours, including the only colour illustration to be reproduced in the text, 24 pastel portraits, and one pencil and two chalk studies - a total of 48 works, and the largest single contribution of any artist to the book. Later Lawrence works by Kennington include a recumbent effigy now in St Martin's Church, Wareham, the headstone for his grave at Moreton, and the memorial bronze head for St Paul's Cathedral; he also executed the brick carvings on the fa�ade of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, and was an official war artist during both World Wars.

Next artist - Henry Lamb

Brief biographies of those artists whose work was
reproduced in the subscribers' edition of
Seven Pillars of Wisdom - full listing