Harold Speed is painter in oil and watercolor of portraits, figure and historical subjects. He was born on 11th February 1872 in London, son of Edward Speed, an architect. Studied architecture at the Royal College of Art, but soon took up painting, and continued his studies at the R.A. Schools between 1891-96. He won a gold medal and travelling scholarship in 1893, and visited Paris, Rome, Vienna, Spain and Belgium. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1893. He elected R.P. in 1896. First one-man show held in 1907 at the Leicester Galleries. He represented in many public collections at home and abroad. Lived at Watlington, Oxfordshire, and in London, where he died on 20th March 1957.
One of his works that was put into a book is “The Practice and Science of Drawing”, a classic approach to the dynamics of drawing by brilliant teacher with insights and practical advice on line drawing, mass drawing, visual memory, materials and much more. 84 plates and diagrams reinforce Speed’s clear presentation.
