in february 1927 spencer held his first one-man exhibition at the goupil gallery. the centre piece of the exhibition was "the resurrection, cookham" which received rave reviews in the british press. "the times" art critic described it as "the most important picture painted by any english artist in the present century. ... what makes it so astonishing is the combination in it of careful detail with the modern freedom of form. it is as if a pre-raphaelite had shaken hands with a cubist."