Our Collection
Head of a Boy (1930)
Drawing, Pencil on paper, 544mm x 416mm

A notable draughtsman, Spencer produced a large corpus of drawings, either for imaginative compositions or, as here, observed from life. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he became prolific in the field of portrait drawing, developing an interest in the use of pencil for sensitive contours and soft shading. ‘Head of a Boy’ shows his mastery of academic procedure and an unmistakable Slade character. Executed in 1930, when Spencer was living at Burghclere, the sitter may be a local boy.