Harry Clarke – Darkness in Light

Harry Clarke – Darkness in Light is a documentary film originally released in 2003 (Irish-language version titled Harry Clarke - Dorchadas i Solas).

Harry Clarke - Darkness in Light
Directed by	John J Doherty
Written by	John J Doherty
Produced by	Catherine Lyons
Starring	Harry Clarke
Narrated by	John J Doherty
Cinematography	Steve O'Reilly John J Doherty
Edited by	Declan McGrath
Music by	Cyril Dunnion Gerard Meaney
Release date	2003 (2003)
Running time	52 minutes
Country	Ireland
Languages	English Irish

Synopsis

Filmmaker John J Doherty traces the life and work of the Irish artist, book illustrator and stained glass artist Harry Clarke (1889–1931) with major contributions from his biographer Nicola Gordon Bowe as well as many stained glass artists, poets and historians. The film takes the artist's work in stained glass, which was mainly religious an ethereal, and in book illustration, which was mainly dark and fantastical, as the basis for its title and tells a story of talent, struggle, success and the censorship of his final masterpiece 'the Geneva Window'. Harry Clarke brought his expertise in working in fine decorative detail in glass to his book illustrations, most notably in the tales of Hans Christian Andersen and Edgar Allan Poe where he is compared to Aubrey Beardsley and which are featured in the film and paralleled with German Expressionist cinema of the time. The film was made in conjunction with the Irish Film Board and national broadcaster TG4.

Awards

This film won the Best Arts Documentary award at the 2004 Celtic International Film Festival.
This film won the Best Documentary award at the 2005 Worldwide International Fantasy Film Festival - Toronto

Sources

• Nicola Gordon Bowe. 1994. The Life and Work of Harry Clarke (Irish Academic Press)
• TG4 awards 2004
• Celtic Media Festival awards 1980–2010

External links

• Harry Clarke - Darkness In Light official site