Clark Kenneth Mackenzie (Clark Kenneth Mackenzie)

(1903-1983)
His audience went far beyond academia, and the famous TV series 'Civilization', first broadcast in Britain in 1969-1970, then was shown around the world. One of the main advantages of Clark was his ability to combine deep stylistic analysis with an accessible explanation of the meaning of art. Clark has made an invaluable contribution to science for his research in the field of Italian Renaissance art and Leonardo da Vinci, Piero della Francesca, as well as Rembrandt and William Turner.
Clark was born July 13, 1903 in London. In 1922-1926 he studied at Trinity College in Oxford, where he met his first teacher, Charles Bell, curator of Art Ashmolean Museum. That prompted Bell to Clark story of his first book - the Gothic Revival (1928), essays on the Gothic Revival in England. In 1931 Clark was replaced by Bell in his post - after a two-year internship in Italy under the leadership of well-known art connoisseur Bernard Bernson.

In 1934 Clark became director of the London National Gallery - the youngest in its history - and remained in that post until 1945. Among the significant works of art, acquired by his initiative - paintings Sassetta, Giovanni di Paolo, Bosch, Rembrandt, Ingres and Cezanne. In the period of work in the gallery, he set new standards of scientific storage of works of art. During the Second World War, when London was bombed, Clark was responsible for the evacuation of paintings, but at the end of the war - for their safe return. At this time, he helped and contemporary British artists, including their means of.

In 1934-1944 Clark served as custodian of the royal collection. During this time he has made an extensive catalog collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci at Windsor Castle (1935), followed by a monograph on Leonardo (1939). In 1946, Clark received an honorary professorship Slade School of Fine Arts in Oxford. The first lecture them Clark rewrote the book Landscape in Art (1949). This practice continued in subsequent years: scientist expressed his ideas in public lectures, and then develop them in the books. In 1951 Clarke published a monograph about finding a long-neglected Italian artist 15 in. Piero della Francesca. He was the first who translated the abstract, mathematical concept form Piero della Francesca in the language of modern concepts. Another was the book Nudes: study of ideal forms (1956) - Review of the tradition of the nude image in Western European art. It should be noted such books researcher, . Looking at a painting (1960), . Rembrandt and the Italian Renaissance (1966), . Civilization (1975) and Moments of Vision (1982), . well as two witty and unusually candid autobiography, . Another part of the forest (1974) and second half (1977),
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In 1969, Clark was awarded a life peerage and was officially called off Baron Clark Soltvud - under the name of the castle, which became his permanent habitat. He died in Clark County, Hite (England) 21 May 1983.