Existing comment:
Harley Granville-Barker 1877–1946
Known as "the father of modern British theatre," Harley Granville-Barker adopted a revolutionary approach to dramatic production that remains influential today. Sargent made this drawing when Granville-Barker was in his early twenties, during which time he appeared in several plays by George Bernard Shaw. It wasn't long before the young Granville-Barker became a director himself. As such, he specialized in works by contemporary playwrights, notably Shaw and Henrik Ibsen, whose unsettling realism and social commentary stirred controversy.
While developing his transformative productions of Shakespeare, Granville-Barker did away with elaborate stage settings and stilted, declamatory speech. Instead, he favored an open stage with symbolic scenery and encouraged actors to speak in a light, breezy manner. In addition to being one of the most important directors of Shakespeare's plays in British theatrical history, Granville-Barker devoted himself to establishing a national theater. This ambitious project was finally realized in 1976, thirty years after his death.
Charcoal on paper, 1900
Lent by the National Portrait Gallery, London; given by wish of George Bernard Shaw, 1960 |