Published in conjunction with an exhibition at Compton Verney Gallery, Warwickshire, June 25-Oct. 2, 2011.

Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) explored fundamental issues of life with an urgency and persistence unique among British artists of his generation. His art comments

England has long been known as a land of gardeners. As such, the rich horticultural designs and and painterly experiments have proved to be of great inspiration

Stanley Spencer's paintings are detailed and vibrant and very often depict his deep but eccentric Christian beliefs. One of his greatest achievements were the m

Finding inspiration in his quiet village on the river Thames, early 20th-century painter Stanley Spencer drew on his familiar world to arrive at an art of epic