Cyril Power   1872 - 1951 

Cyril Power, born in Chelsea, in 1872, is primarily known for his association with the Grosvenor School of Modern Art and for his mastery of linocut. 

Having trained as an architect, Power was awarded the Sloane Medallion in 1900 by the Royal Institute of British Architects, where he was elected an associate member. He pursued a career in architecture until the early 1920s.  In the run-up to this period, he had begun to produce watercolours and drypoint etchings, mainly of landscapes and urban scenes. It has been speculated that the horrors he saw and experienced during air raids as part of the Royal Flying Corps in WWI contributed significantly to his sharp change of careers. In 1921 Power had a joint exhibition with Sybil Andrews in her home town of Bury St. Edmunds.

In 1922 Power and Sybil Andrews moved to London, where Power initially studied at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art, before leaving to work as a lecturer in architecture at Grosvenor School of Modern Art. It was here that they were taught by Claude Flight, and came to embrace the colourful use of linocuts. He used this method to create dynamic, futuristic prints of the London underground and sporting events, amongst other modern subjects.

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