Ernest Arthur Gardner (art historian)

Ernest Arthur Gardner (16 May 1878 – 29 January 1972) was an English writer, art historian and photographer with a particular focus on medieval sculpture and architecture.[1]

For the English archaeologist and Director of the British School at Athens between 1887 and 1895, see Ernest Arthur Gardner.

Early life

Ernest Arthur Gardner was born in Harrow on the Hill to the antiquary Samuel Gardner. He graduated in 1901 from King's College, Cambridge, and entered the family business afterwards. He remained working there for 40 years.[2]

Career

Ernest Arthur Gardner significantly contributed to the study of medieval architecture and sculpture.[2] Gardner's publications, particularly his broad surveys of medieval sculpture, are most famous for their ability to effectively and succinctly synthesise existing material, research and findings of other academics on the topic.[2] Gardner was also able to make medieval art more accessible to the wider public through offering sumptuous illustrations in his works, many of which became standardised academic textbooks.[2]

Photography

Gardner learned photography from his father and travelled throughout Europe and the British Isles, photographing medieval monuments and buildings for his impressive photographic collection. Many of the sites Gardner photographed have since been destroyed or rebuilt, making his photographic collection particularly valuable for scholars and the public today.[2] This collection has been contributed to the Conway Library of the Courtauld Institute of Art, and is currently being digitised by the Courtauld Institute of Art, as part of the Courtauld Connects project.[3]

Publications

Some of his publications include:

  • An Account of Medieval Figure-Sculpture in England. With 855 photographs (1912; Cambridge University Press)
  • French Sculpture of the Thirteenth Century: seventy-eight examples of masterpieces of medieval art illustrating works at Reims (1915; The Medici Society London)
  • The Art and Aport of Alpine Photography (1927; H.F and G.Witherby London)
  • Medieval Sculpture in France (1931, Cambridge University Press)
  • A Handbook of English Medieval Sculpture [with illustrations] (1935, Cambridge University Press)

References
  1. "Gardner, Arthur, 1878-1972". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  2. Morrison, Kathryn (2003). "Gardner, (Ernest) Arthur". Grove Art Online. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  3. "Who made the Conway Library?". Courtauld Institute of Art. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.