tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17127622710627674332024-02-20T22:27:01.703-08:00V I E W-Vintage Illustration Explored WeeklyAfter years of pulling together books on the subject of Golden Age (1880-1930) illustration, it has been nagging at me to start something to this effect. I do this with a view to educate, entertain, and share; share what may not be easy for many people to find. Topic may come up in means of subject, or of an artist, or of a single image. Weekly is my goal, we'll see how that goes. And away we go...
JeffJeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-69551995408847242322013-08-21T20:40:00.001-07:002013-08-21T20:42:11.334-07:00A Reclamation, and Reward<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh_gbUwrRR9xNag2lIIhTfMCld9V1FPl7ZjZ8yf8CIJpuQAOfN_6LQ1HfQGDEfty4_L4rRePLTyUhBf_g65rkzCfb_r9aO73liMdFu1pmw994ustkd_uNkNoiCzJkxCiR2QNsd7J7hBEz/s1600/$T2eC16V,!yUE9s6NElygBRS-vq8nHg~~60_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh_gbUwrRR9xNag2lIIhTfMCld9V1FPl7ZjZ8yf8CIJpuQAOfN_6LQ1HfQGDEfty4_L4rRePLTyUhBf_g65rkzCfb_r9aO73liMdFu1pmw994ustkd_uNkNoiCzJkxCiR2QNsd7J7hBEz/s200/$T2eC16V,!yUE9s6NElygBRS-vq8nHg~~60_57.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The painting, as I found it on ebay.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7K01pnIDax2WEeS9_SNp3mX5a2tFVju9vSIJq4vVU__EepjIfNqf0e2qH3YJlmmxD2cEzY-7iu5MV79Y3XF2YShnhIlLn694wV4EjbuKhe4IUK3yqTeYDG57_jqj_oo9gQFZfEA7Ax1w/s1600/Aylward+2colorA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7K01pnIDax2WEeS9_SNp3mX5a2tFVju9vSIJq4vVU__EepjIfNqf0e2qH3YJlmmxD2cEzY-7iu5MV79Y3XF2YShnhIlLn694wV4EjbuKhe4IUK3yqTeYDG57_jqj_oo9gQFZfEA7Ax1w/s320/Aylward+2colorA.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
OK, here's a story that's a bit different. It's about rescue and
restoration, and a whole different aspect of illustration appreciation.
It's also something that will become more and more important in years to
come, as so much illustration art was not regarded as worth saving in
its day. Much of it was done on and with inferior materials, and a great
deal of it was considered little more than the means to achieve an end
(the printed product), not seen for the value it had in and of itself.
Saving this art today preserves illustration history, and can make for
good investment.<br />
<br />
About two years ago, I had provided an entry on <b>William James Aylward, 1875-1956. </b>
In my eyes, he is one of the most overlooked gems of the Brandywine
alumni. We have a lot in common; and I may be biased due to a few of
those similarities—I collect his work with some serious intent, there
may be only one other artist I seek out with more enthusiasm. So when I
got notice that something new from Aylward had posted on ebay late last
March, I expected more printed pages from <i>Scribner's Magazine,</i> or an illustrated copy of Jack London's <i>The Sea Wolf.</i> I got a pleasant surprise. <br />
<br />
The
listing was for a 16'X20" painting, signed by Aylward, and it is
without a doubt, his. OK, I have a nice pencil piece by him, and
recently acquired an ink sketch as well, but I hadn't thought I might be
able to find a painting, at least on ebay. And it was reasonable. It
was pretty dirty, definitely had seen better days, but I wondered if the
sellers really knew what they had. It had a "buy it now" price, and I
took it right away. They probably did know what they had, and more
precisely, they knew what needed to be done. But that's what allowed me
to have a chance at this piece in the first place. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdmZS85s_bcy32XmK08bi8qxUCU9KhRiAa-jGv2yV2f3N16XAh6146ZadOuwhKLANLQZ7jRpTvv2NmQyHETuNqw58ad3qmOS2ryawkvQchZNfcaIYU4kva_RDD6fQGlWRFMmW6Z27BnqT/s1600/AylwardHunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdmZS85s_bcy32XmK08bi8qxUCU9KhRiAa-jGv2yV2f3N16XAh6146ZadOuwhKLANLQZ7jRpTvv2NmQyHETuNqw58ad3qmOS2ryawkvQchZNfcaIYU4kva_RDD6fQGlWRFMmW6Z27BnqT/s320/AylwardHunt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few pieces by Aylward done in a similar fashion. The two-tone work he did for <i>Scribner's</i> or <i>Harper's</i> were often small vignettes, black and orange. These are from 1918. Today, I live in Huntington Township, not far from where this scene was painted.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
The sellers
asked me if I was sure (odd for ebay), and cautioned me that the piece
needed some restoration. I carefully looked over the images provided,
and was still good with it at the price they offered. So it came. I
wanted to have it cleaned up—or at least looked at—to see if I had saved
something, or just let go of a small wad of cash. I called The Society
of Illustrators—to ask who they used to clean up works for them. I knew
this wouldn't be cheap, but If I was going to have someone look at it, I
wanted it to be someone who understood this type of work, and maybe
even was familiar with Aylward. They recommended <a href="http://www.jillpratzon.com/"><b>Pratzon Art Restoration</b></a>
in Manhattan, and it could not have been a better fit. Not only was
Jill Pratzon familiar with Aylward, she specializes in illustration of
this sort, and had worked on some Aylward before. While the restoration
was more than the painting was, the two prices together cost me about as
much as I might have paid if I had found this piece in the shape it's
in now, in an auction catalog. So, I went ahead, already being somewhat
invested in time and money. She did a fantastic job, and now I have a
sweet original painting by one of Howard Pyle's students. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzyvghyphenhyphenvH2OCiLd2TbEvlrTFXPKzk23UsXbdKEl9h7rbE9HadRcDJ9gURDWyMa0Ma_qYw2q4EARTg7Hs0Bqund1AouoXZVG3XUGXlA57M-qZ6ZeQyf4IseW7zEmjgczLIwnAoyTCkf4zR/s1600/MengesAylward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzyvghyphenhyphenvH2OCiLd2TbEvlrTFXPKzk23UsXbdKEl9h7rbE9HadRcDJ9gURDWyMa0Ma_qYw2q4EARTg7Hs0Bqund1AouoXZVG3XUGXlA57M-qZ6ZeQyf4IseW7zEmjgczLIwnAoyTCkf4zR/s320/MengesAylward.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration—in process—photo by Jill Pratzon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8KPC0Tlw3fza4NvhnSUHFVbO9m8ZTeWAOuj4RqsX7gwe7OlFsqVw0h9mpH6HDrLXB458pWAFaB89pi6Rdp0TIjv9P91zFxY1GYCTsxJoqSGbZEPhem0_PHBri9EOBa-mF9HiE6K0YzFN/s1600/Restore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8KPC0Tlw3fza4NvhnSUHFVbO9m8ZTeWAOuj4RqsX7gwe7OlFsqVw0h9mpH6HDrLXB458pWAFaB89pi6Rdp0TIjv9P91zFxY1GYCTsxJoqSGbZEPhem0_PHBri9EOBa-mF9HiE6K0YzFN/s320/Restore.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the finished piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-73494551240545860492013-05-27T15:09:00.003-07:002013-06-02T21:53:55.927-07:00Unsung Louis Rhead<style>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a return I hope that I will not need
to repeat. Having been working on VIEW for over four years, I haven't
needed to step away this long before—but those of you who are aware of
my activities outside of VIEW, may know that I have been deep in a
project over the past few months, which has all but engulfed me. I'm
looking forward to getting back to VIEW much more regularly again.
Here's one that's been stewing all this time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Born into a family of ceramic artists, <b>Louis Rhead
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(1857-1926)</span></b> showed
exceptional artistic talent early on, and was sent to study in Paris from his
home in England at the age of 13. More study followed upon his return to
England, and by 1881, Rhead left the family business of ceramics and began
a career in publishing at Cassell in London.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gQv1G_X-lDWw2Miq2zK1DCCEV_P9hOtkMaS1ubRr0duxsTxKJsMNvOS-JGWNKh-JbiF6AVK7SN-eHKraF50LaYwqZ3VfW0_1sScTNIzzss5pgvVPRds7_4Iih3Ds2XTuWw1F0YC4rVoU/s1600/69-a3-Louis_John_Rhead_-_Century_Magazine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gQv1G_X-lDWw2Miq2zK1DCCEV_P9hOtkMaS1ubRr0duxsTxKJsMNvOS-JGWNKh-JbiF6AVK7SN-eHKraF50LaYwqZ3VfW0_1sScTNIzzss5pgvVPRds7_4Iih3Ds2XTuWw1F0YC4rVoU/s320/69-a3-Louis_John_Rhead_-_Century_Magazine.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Snow Queen<br /><i>Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales and Wonder Stories</i><br />1914</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rhead was not long at Cassell before he caught the attention
of a New York publishing firm, D. Appleton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He accepted a position as art director from them, and
settled down in New York where he brought an element of Parisian Art Nouveau to
an eager American audience. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During the 1890’s, the poster became a popular medium, and
Rhead was in a great place to take advantage of it. He became one of the
leading figures of the American Art Nouveau movement, and during most of that
decade his graphic work regularly appeared in association with "Century
Magazine", "Harper’s" publications, and "Scribner’s", among others. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1ef52mlkD7k83OhbnWv-e2kgjHQs15fxu2Ihp5okk-ig5MMuSes7KPJQ8Aj8rTVVjbILfGCqnQHy5_Hu7H0wY-NpoVZwumvVtjdeipTaFJkRMkM_azWrwsmbyy2EM46UVO4XoJyjOUk7/s1600/RheadThank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1ef52mlkD7k83OhbnWv-e2kgjHQs15fxu2Ihp5okk-ig5MMuSes7KPJQ8Aj8rTVVjbILfGCqnQHy5_Hu7H0wY-NpoVZwumvVtjdeipTaFJkRMkM_azWrwsmbyy2EM46UVO4XoJyjOUk7/s320/RheadThank.jpg" width="232" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When poster work began to decline, Rhead found new direction in
the growing market for book illustration—where he became a contributor
in the market of children’s classics. He regularly produced volumes with
tremendous amounts of line illustrations, sometimes recalling the graphic
styles of his earlier poster designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rhead produced many memorable volumes, including <i>Treasure Island, Robin
Hood,</i> and <i>Robinson Crusoe.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rhead’s second passion in life became angling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not long after the turn of the
century that Rhead’s artistic talent and his interest in fishing joined—and in
the latter part of his career—he not only illustrated numerous books on the
subject, but became an expert on it, and an author as well. Illustration centered around fishing
found markets in his own books, and in the early sporting magazines of the day,
such as "Outdoors", and "Field and Stream". </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1926 it was a fishing adventure that would end Rhead’s
life. After an hour-long struggle with a 30-pound snapping turtle, Rhead landed
the turtle, but the strain proved too much for him; he suffered a heart attack.
Two weeks later a subsequent heart attack ended his life, at age 68. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcUfe_tKf2wWlE9j5u_-P4-D-R1mU1qnm7ELJT6l3T-HgNrA1xwNf7vltnRjxG-xtM9-eIsH1GuWqWvjwr9nz07JXCDWwmOYbMeWLSRpSllqui6UbxVLytEStZBcqloANyiWQo3PnbNgV/s1600/m017+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcUfe_tKf2wWlE9j5u_-P4-D-R1mU1qnm7ELJT6l3T-HgNrA1xwNf7vltnRjxG-xtM9-eIsH1GuWqWvjwr9nz07JXCDWwmOYbMeWLSRpSllqui6UbxVLytEStZBcqloANyiWQo3PnbNgV/s320/m017+copy.jpg" width="223" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vivien<br /><i>King Arthur and His Knights</i><br />1923</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0ZcTmiLdN0-u8olDnDlqQ4acmUd1sHstCBQSRG0bkL04bdYNtxRZSV04m9RWkmvRuWYrjtU-Iq05OexHlkUmvaWQK8yGf0Wl5B58MF8lg57QprXzSelz0YJ-L3UHGaB-hqSJlJwOrSaX/s1600/LRhead02+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0ZcTmiLdN0-u8olDnDlqQ4acmUd1sHstCBQSRG0bkL04bdYNtxRZSV04m9RWkmvRuWYrjtU-Iq05OexHlkUmvaWQK8yGf0Wl5B58MF8lg57QprXzSelz0YJ-L3UHGaB-hqSJlJwOrSaX/s320/LRhead02+copy.jpg" width="216" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales and Wonder Stories</i><br />1914</span></span></td></tr>
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Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-5712417832372637332013-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:002013-01-27T11:30:02.273-08:00There be Dragons<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>A Changing of the Guard</b></span></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcal4I-UF1kC8Gb7WjEmRbKqc4URalHszQw7tQzBF6O2xhPwyNghUhWIFwI0eXmEBo71bXHi-RqYV3NVm1RRsJS1vFwQL5GGVppm5itVfFTQBExPctKEIdU5JQmmoL392E_AJ6ea8ImPJ/s1600/SederDr01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcal4I-UF1kC8Gb7WjEmRbKqc4URalHszQw7tQzBF6O2xhPwyNghUhWIFwI0eXmEBo71bXHi-RqYV3NVm1RRsJS1vFwQL5GGVppm5itVfFTQBExPctKEIdU5JQmmoL392E_AJ6ea8ImPJ/s320/SederDr01.jpg" width="231" /></a>Although my life is steeped in books, I try to not rely on <i>"book review"</i> type of columns for this blog. Once in a while I encounter a volume special and unique, and it can't be helped. This tale—however—marks a transition of sorts, and that change is almost as worthwhile a discussion (although another one all together) as the art that brought it to my attention. <br />
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But first, this new batch of art. A few years back a portfolio of naturalist-type plates was brought to my attention at <a href="http://www.doverpublications.com/">Dover Publications</a>. They were big plates, nearly 30 of them, and in a wide range of color. (Chromalithographs, not process color) From 1896-1909. Some incredible fish, crustaceans, and birds. The real surprise was that there were <i>dragons</i>. Worked in, right with all this terrific real world stuff, were a nice range of different types of dragons with an Art Nouveau flair. Killer stuff, really. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdhibpxtI9RjdneuWtAAwTcMsPKwrDPBxAoGnws-oG6tIT7yo6_VBFIzSwbg99M1vbEME6SAHe00xSx6zEWsCz8xbek37NT6yJ23CzDHTEK0brTc7X8CbCCneV6koc0b8kvp9ZfDqclBZ/s1600/SederSea01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdhibpxtI9RjdneuWtAAwTcMsPKwrDPBxAoGnws-oG6tIT7yo6_VBFIzSwbg99M1vbEME6SAHe00xSx6zEWsCz8xbek37NT6yJ23CzDHTEK0brTc7X8CbCCneV6koc0b8kvp9ZfDqclBZ/s320/SederSea01.jpg" width="233" /></a>Finding info about the artist, <b>Anton Seder (1850-1916)</b>, isn't easy. He was from Munich, and did a number of botanical and zoological plate sets, some in conjunction with other artists. in 1890 he became the Director at <span style="font-size: small;">The College of Decorative Arts </span>in Strasbourg (France or Germany, depending on the period) for twenty-six years(?). One has to wonder what inspired the addition of the fantasy element in this set, but it's very refreshing for the period. <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Anton_Seder">(a nice bunch of decorative samples)</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdSF1Elh-lBh_MCHz2kL2WFps480nHkdSvEx9GFsnIpfP5RbF7PAgev6bzz0mVUzwoNffaa8mdthyxBvVZ6__sCh5hgG0l4GAEZF3vCZ8yjVLK3G1XUUjnHOocw75sRAJl_F_0pgMn4Ql/s1600/SederSt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdSF1Elh-lBh_MCHz2kL2WFps480nHkdSvEx9GFsnIpfP5RbF7PAgev6bzz0mVUzwoNffaa8mdthyxBvVZ6__sCh5hgG0l4GAEZF3vCZ8yjVLK3G1XUUjnHOocw75sRAJl_F_0pgMn4Ql/s320/SederSt01.jpg" width="234" /></a><br />
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<br />
OK. But that's not the transition I'm talking about. <br />
The difference here, is that the set was released by Dover last month, but only <a href="http://www.doverpictura.com/collection/0486484475">in digital form</a>. You can get it in all it's hi-res glory, for just a few bucks, but it's not in print.<br />
<br />
<br />
If you are not aware, Dover is selling it's image libraries online now, by page or by collection. As you might expect, all of its clip art that has been available on disc, is now available there. But now, new material, never before available, including Anton Seder's Dragons (& company) is available as well. And new collections will be added constantly. So if you enjoy digging through images of all kinds (If you didn't, you wouldn't be here) keep an eye on <a href="http://www.doverpictura.com/">www.doverpictura.com</a>.<br />
<br />
The site is still in development, but improvements are happening constantly. If you have a suggestion for the site, contact them there.<br />
<br />
<br />
Plates from this and other <a href="http://www.panteek.com/Seder/index.htm">Seder sets</a>, from an art dealer—<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwW4ewVzLFbM8MPnMLpzBNyNneRi60dhWkRIpqqhbcMd2DkhTfmUsfWy6AzLSOXUeEPT9I6TzYsPnBC1oD_InUUDXtnHyKJXWoAN1S8B8Yl1k8ZcND5FleheyxVbN2EnVuLgGvrmG7koXZ/s1600/SederPh01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwW4ewVzLFbM8MPnMLpzBNyNneRi60dhWkRIpqqhbcMd2DkhTfmUsfWy6AzLSOXUeEPT9I6TzYsPnBC1oD_InUUDXtnHyKJXWoAN1S8B8Yl1k8ZcND5FleheyxVbN2EnVuLgGvrmG7koXZ/s320/SederPh01.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Wahoo! VIEW broke the 100 follower figure! I have books of choice to send out to the following five lucky followers.<br />
I'll try to get in touch with you for mailing info, or you can track me down as well. Thanks everyone.<br />
<br />
<div class="bg-appname fn">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Stephanie Pui-Mun Law</span></div>
<div class="bg-appname fn">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Ava Plum </span></div>
<div class="bg-appname fn">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Heather Hudson </span></div>
<div class="bg-appname fn">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Jason Juta</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Stephany Benbow</span> <br />
<h3 class="bg-appname fn">
</h3>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-56099184670905113572012-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:002012-12-29T18:36:28.002-08:00Heinrich Kley, Grand Master of Ink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzutMrbRpDHlaWUZrz8OIRsJwFsVLUX-HslOl8dg2_nEN3Ic6gvPnu11oOSihV6KUA5MeutMwUxqmrgyecrk_Tlg-wZ8gxf5CexnwkqWY4qGkQ4OT2mjFBlWVpB8sjDXHz4QaBWlR5VxMe/s1600/KleyJug02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVixxX6uqu_UElhApEINg1_0LABDWe-_6ShgzUMhznBgM0DJjUiWyfcCu2fiizVu8vsZXL8ubcdPHTJ3DFDVicJkL4qJzjzKTM-47KOwybfc6eVmkl3n4l9nJRf74z4Kh5W6ZEIVq8GDP/s1600/KleyJug04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVixxX6uqu_UElhApEINg1_0LABDWe-_6ShgzUMhznBgM0DJjUiWyfcCu2fiizVu8vsZXL8ubcdPHTJ3DFDVicJkL4qJzjzKTM-47KOwybfc6eVmkl3n4l9nJRf74z4Kh5W6ZEIVq8GDP/s320/KleyJug04.jpg" width="222" /></a>It seems regardless of my direction these past few weeks, I keep getting pointed to the work of German illustrator and artist <b>Heinrich Kley (1863-1945)</b>. Comparably, few know of his work, but it is often held in high regard among those that do. Kley is about to get some attention that is long overdue, and it is worth making sure that more people are aware of his work and the new books on the way.<br />
<br />
I found (almost literally… I bought them from a street vender) two volumes that Dover had published of Kley’s work while I was an undergraduate student in the mid-eighties. The copies I bought were twenty years old <i>then.</i> I was stunned how much the imagery reminded me of the ink work <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Catherine_Jones">Jeff Jones </a>produced monthly for <i>Heavy Metal Magazine</i>, in a regular strip Jones called "I’m Age". The work was incredibly loose, fluid and refreshingly sketch-like, but had beautiful clarity where it was most deserved.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ59qoOuCFPDXx7JV-paqoHUjTmK6dwoTGK6JrNJ-j7sv5Yn0qOz6NU42W9vZzqCpS-1lnSGRNjiVnYERg4X2RaW02kdf3Uox4iVgO9QMbqseJcK4fmbXWsGUs274nuPE74vpg3JPbmIw/s1600/Kley02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ59qoOuCFPDXx7JV-paqoHUjTmK6dwoTGK6JrNJ-j7sv5Yn0qOz6NU42W9vZzqCpS-1lnSGRNjiVnYERg4X2RaW02kdf3Uox4iVgO9QMbqseJcK4fmbXWsGUs274nuPE74vpg3JPbmIw/s320/Kley02.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kley first appeared in German periodicals out of Munich around 1907. Previous to that he'd been in fine arts and a book illustrator. His work from the next decade often comments on social and political issues, and not unlike his contemporary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dana_Gibson">Charles Dana Gibson</a>, he often sought out subject matter depicting the struggles between the sexes.<br />
<br />
The two Dover volumes I mention above gave Kley a small but loyal following here in America, but he was otherwise nearly forgotten about. The first one, <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486200248.html">The Drawings of Heinrich Kley</a>, is still in print.<br />
<br />
Sometime last year I got hold of issue eight of <a href="http://www.bpib.com/imagesmagfolder/imagesmag/index.html">Jim Vadeboncoeur’s <i>Images</i> magazine</a>, (I highly recommend it) which featured numerous color works by Kley, and also pointed out that he regularly contributed color work to German magazines of the day, including one called <a href="http://www.jugendmagazine.net/">Jugend</a>. The color plates I have here are all from Jugend, 1911, while the line works are from those Dover collections mentioned above. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yRoXXT0hPO0Dc-Ydn1m1ThbsqFzqpoOhjQ1hamOFkCwXo6-wF_TWXSvYEPLK3x2l07mhwEICoqenZch9sQkG7ZeMjl-IJBs3Wb4rx8bL6Kp5r8rcBLrU-ctEA6ESZRAO-bWtAgX4uAze/s1600/KleyJug03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yRoXXT0hPO0Dc-Ydn1m1ThbsqFzqpoOhjQ1hamOFkCwXo6-wF_TWXSvYEPLK3x2l07mhwEICoqenZch9sQkG7ZeMjl-IJBs3Wb4rx8bL6Kp5r8rcBLrU-ctEA6ESZRAO-bWtAgX4uAze/s320/KleyJug03.jpg" width="195" /></a>A friend with an eye on VIEW—Tom Kidd—pointed out to me recently two new volumes of Kley’s work are about to be—or have recently been—released by <a href="http://www.picturethispress.com/">Lost Art Books</a>. These two volumes feature hundreds of Kley’s images that have not been reprinted for near a century, in some cases, more. Scoop them up while you can. <a href="http://budsartbooks.com/search.cfm/kw/kley%20lost%20art">Bud Plant announced them</a> yesterday on his page as well.<br />
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While I’m currently consumed by two large projects, VIEW is not getting the attention it deserves from me, but it is very much in my mind and I will maintain it as frequently as time allows.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVnil1kP0HGzi-xPBT40QxFy2VPu2w0OInfAlTTiSXq4Fc1ILe8sVRJBUYsVwNrViVI9Go7KPhMrywpxqbxKtLrOQ-4dctbg0FT6PIuPDJZGC34CO9lNuAzOBeqTiP8yaF6lXvDAoXys5/s1600/Kley01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVnil1kP0HGzi-xPBT40QxFy2VPu2w0OInfAlTTiSXq4Fc1ILe8sVRJBUYsVwNrViVI9Go7KPhMrywpxqbxKtLrOQ-4dctbg0FT6PIuPDJZGC34CO9lNuAzOBeqTiP8yaF6lXvDAoXys5/s320/Kley01.jpg" width="257" /></a>VIEW needs ONE more new follower until I send five folks their choice of any of the Dover books found on my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-A.-Menges/e/B001ILMAUI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1356833765&sr=1-1">Author’s Page at Amazon</a>.
If you are interested in receiving one of your choice, just let me know
in a comment. I’ll be in touch with five randomly selected winners as
soon as we hit 100. <br />
<br />
Have a happy and safe New Year!! Jeff<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PlchoHt6XtHzGAZDzQs35_TXaN7x7MiK7Fm1U2DHJbpnjHeKXebTJJr5kzupH4_tEyL5sHANmFHptgm03h2J61aFgo5yF_FxKQmLgpCG4aCtJxH3nuzCSzqv1G5DM3khMokO4v-g5dbI/s1600/Kley03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PlchoHt6XtHzGAZDzQs35_TXaN7x7MiK7Fm1U2DHJbpnjHeKXebTJJr5kzupH4_tEyL5sHANmFHptgm03h2J61aFgo5yF_FxKQmLgpCG4aCtJxH3nuzCSzqv1G5DM3khMokO4v-g5dbI/s320/Kley03.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These tortoises were definitely the inspiration<br />
for the cover of the Grateful Dead's "Terrapin Station"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzutMrbRpDHlaWUZrz8OIRsJwFsVLUX-HslOl8dg2_nEN3Ic6gvPnu11oOSihV6KUA5MeutMwUxqmrgyecrk_Tlg-wZ8gxf5CexnwkqWY4qGkQ4OT2mjFBlWVpB8sjDXHz4QaBWlR5VxMe/s1600/KleyJug02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzutMrbRpDHlaWUZrz8OIRsJwFsVLUX-HslOl8dg2_nEN3Ic6gvPnu11oOSihV6KUA5MeutMwUxqmrgyecrk_Tlg-wZ8gxf5CexnwkqWY4qGkQ4OT2mjFBlWVpB8sjDXHz4QaBWlR5VxMe/s320/KleyJug02.jpg" width="173" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzutMrbRpDHlaWUZrz8OIRsJwFsVLUX-HslOl8dg2_nEN3Ic6gvPnu11oOSihV6KUA5MeutMwUxqmrgyecrk_Tlg-wZ8gxf5CexnwkqWY4qGkQ4OT2mjFBlWVpB8sjDXHz4QaBWlR5VxMe/s1600/KleyJug02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-35452323499849188262012-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:002012-11-18T10:35:15.468-08:00There are still treasures to find<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQX2cvqGn_Ue8XSKmQxG-9bDlLR_84PAT_b1UxZODtTKnJSwBwRhNWaourIDsf5jpTODLWxJPCpysJNZwydiOpyR-rBDUTkeY78S-HmnInXcc1P-w-a9XuXeT2eGVZYpPYZFKwRLXcxvw/s1600/Thorns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQX2cvqGn_Ue8XSKmQxG-9bDlLR_84PAT_b1UxZODtTKnJSwBwRhNWaourIDsf5jpTODLWxJPCpysJNZwydiOpyR-rBDUTkeY78S-HmnInXcc1P-w-a9XuXeT2eGVZYpPYZFKwRLXcxvw/s320/Thorns.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9OygNepPqLT0uOnwXknZD9NdcPslDDPJa62KnyhADDHmpcFUZmuuRhJz3dOWwpThFbzPkG08mkq9NIjXXqRsQn_wHD-l7qi51LZaUl55y99ZVWUljMe5Y0UETtcs4g2PiNeeYyY2WjNy/s1600/Trist.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9OygNepPqLT0uOnwXknZD9NdcPslDDPJa62KnyhADDHmpcFUZmuuRhJz3dOWwpThFbzPkG08mkq9NIjXXqRsQn_wHD-l7qi51LZaUl55y99ZVWUljMe5Y0UETtcs4g2PiNeeYyY2WjNy/s320/Trist.jpg" width="251" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-eFL39-trVkiI5OMs7rgR6HyQMWB9h_ep-4139t1iDvzXD2gzzDMdB8rqoBzcuaPnCEPMaqNiBSZrQU9p0acpPBQJhfEuzBhyphenhyphenXgo0ut-3lzTE3HfWkqgeudJZtAuo-Wl_2TpMBXeQiFg/s1600/Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-eFL39-trVkiI5OMs7rgR6HyQMWB9h_ep-4139t1iDvzXD2gzzDMdB8rqoBzcuaPnCEPMaqNiBSZrQU9p0acpPBQJhfEuzBhyphenhyphenXgo0ut-3lzTE3HfWkqgeudJZtAuo-Wl_2TpMBXeQiFg/s320/Castle.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORw2M200BONs2lgzqi2Z4CpTp_41WNiFsDy-9A17_TGGrqxxcg2aN8dLkvx9E2Zcxk83vszISCjJ7Su0dxreAfj20Te4oFqggiBunMHq0QIKAp5MXWC6b0ekFs77Kagsw0K4Kn-au1TCi/s1600/Battle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMQtaBBFRGBbql5a1CivWN_mbSI7JKW2uScIkTP-rtXLXB_In3XPrnzGZjLOlODwV3avfA9dIWSOxBaNSopgL6vCpSnLlIvQPK6gKXwtdQ9yDV8iLipjS67E63AxGCkbfRFrOwEkpQm9w/s1600/Tower.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMQtaBBFRGBbql5a1CivWN_mbSI7JKW2uScIkTP-rtXLXB_In3XPrnzGZjLOlODwV3avfA9dIWSOxBaNSopgL6vCpSnLlIvQPK6gKXwtdQ9yDV8iLipjS67E63AxGCkbfRFrOwEkpQm9w/s320/Tower.jpg" width="252" /></a><br />
While I'm still tied up in a crazy amount of work, I've had to find a way
to mention some of the things that have happened this past few weeks—<i>and</i>—share an amazing Golden Age find with you.<br />
<br />
In the last week I spent four days at <a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">Illuxcon</a>,
in Altoona, PA. If you are unfamiliar with the name, it is a convention
focused on art—particularly—that of the genre coming to be known as <i>Imaginative Realism.</i> (A term made relevant by the esteemed artist and author <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/">James Gurney</a>)
It is traditional work that is featured here; while digital imagery
maintains a presence in lectures and discussion, original paintings are
the stars of this show.<br />
<br />
I mention the show here because almost
no other audience than the people working in this field has a greater
appreciation of the art I discuss on VIEW. There is a lot of
cross-referencing and respect for Golden Age material. The mission
of <a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">Illuxcon</a>, it's benefit and
support to those working in the field, is unsurpassed. If you are a fan
of this material on VIEW, you would undoubtedly appreciate and enjoy
what they are doing at Illuxcon as well. You can check them out at <a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">http://www.illuxcon.com/</a><br />
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Next years show is being moved to the <a href="http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/">Allentown Art Museum</a> during the month of September. Sign up To their facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/illuxcon">here.</a><br />
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A while back, I introduced you to the French artist <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/search/label/Boutet%20de%20Monvel">Maurice Boutet de Monvel,</a> and his book <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486470261.html"><i>The Story of Joan of Arc.</i></a>
Now I have news of another French illustrator and a magnificent book
published in 1910… A good friend recently emailed me that she had
stumbled on a book at a library fundraiser that she thought I would
really like. I kept my expectations low, as I'm often directed towards
books I’m already aware of, but this turned out to be the kind of thing
I’m hungry for. Thanks, Mary.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo9MvoBwT18LVStW3ysTnv5qctpnteIb6Ou2q9Ic_sCLeRGTSqAmLhwcierW-kjdSaLkT_SryQW4UNiGu_-1pgef6qJRSb9Go39OIMuZrJcxrxG81oXh2x_wgmi71D9ibzKWrKEy2BZgy/s1600/L.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo9MvoBwT18LVStW3ysTnv5qctpnteIb6Ou2q9Ic_sCLeRGTSqAmLhwcierW-kjdSaLkT_SryQW4UNiGu_-1pgef6qJRSb9Go39OIMuZrJcxrxG81oXh2x_wgmi71D9ibzKWrKEy2BZgy/s200/L.jpg" width="199" /></a><br />
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<b>Maurice Lalau (1881-1961)</b> appears to be well-regarded in France, but it is not a name I have come across much before. (Dover does print an edition of <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486225216.html"><i>East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon</i></a> that contains a few of his illustrations, but they do not compare in quality to these) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORw2M200BONs2lgzqi2Z4CpTp_41WNiFsDy-9A17_TGGrqxxcg2aN8dLkvx9E2Zcxk83vszISCjJ7Su0dxreAfj20Te4oFqggiBunMHq0QIKAp5MXWC6b0ekFs77Kagsw0K4Kn-au1TCi/s1600/Battle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORw2M200BONs2lgzqi2Z4CpTp_41WNiFsDy-9A17_TGGrqxxcg2aN8dLkvx9E2Zcxk83vszISCjJ7Su0dxreAfj20Te4oFqggiBunMHq0QIKAp5MXWC6b0ekFs77Kagsw0K4Kn-au1TCi/s320/Battle.jpg" width="251" /></a>The book that seems to be one of the highlights of his career is this Heinemann (who was also publishing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rackham">Rackham</a> at the time) volume titled <i>The Romance of Tristan and Iseult.</i>
It contains 20 color plates, and some beautifully drawn illustrative
cap letters. Text by Joseph Bédier. The color work has some brilliant
range for the period, the draftsmanship—especially the architecture—is
remarkable, and the emotion behind these illustrations might bring more
comparisons to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Waterhouse">J. W. Waterhouse</a> than other book illustrators of the period. While <a href="http://archive.org/details/romanceoftristra00bdie"><i>The Romance of Tristan and Iseult </i></a>appears
to be quite scarce, I’m not the first to blog about it, and if you
thirst for more of these images, the whole group has been posted <a href="http://artofnarrative.blogspot.com/2011/11/maurice-lalau-romance-of-tristram-and.html">here</a>. (where you can also find some comments about the color in my Dover books…I think I may need to address that one week…)<br />
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Still looking for <i>three</i>
more followers until the book giveaway. Sign on if you haven’t, and
comment or message me that you are interested in free art books…<br />
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<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-45444134262846621792012-09-22T14:50:00.000-07:002012-09-22T14:57:45.920-07:00Painter/illustrator Rowland Wheelwright <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvdv0QZkLwOEfgS2mP-YTLY0LwKGt66gjQYtKw8qbCqcMnN69VyYYBRBar8bRm1vpF-_QeXW1NyTBu_T0CoZR43yTYDgPrkuww6dcJVUb9ul2uuwM0jFCsF545-vYe_bEMi-d8D6Sl9WS/s1600/ESrw01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvdv0QZkLwOEfgS2mP-YTLY0LwKGt66gjQYtKw8qbCqcMnN69VyYYBRBar8bRm1vpF-_QeXW1NyTBu_T0CoZR43yTYDgPrkuww6dcJVUb9ul2uuwM0jFCsF545-vYe_bEMi-d8D6Sl9WS/s320/ESrw01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_T1QbkhjB3wWduIE8kl1iiZzCjEM_Mmw3P7rTrP6yyAuWJsuN2vi2RZGGALktlKQf57fOUrZjHOQTypAl5ZxzepaRbnA1F7vEXFmLwNhijVrB8syXItekQd2ZZZ9T6IAlUJkObulvbFo/s1600/DQrwx2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_T1QbkhjB3wWduIE8kl1iiZzCjEM_Mmw3P7rTrP6yyAuWJsuN2vi2RZGGALktlKQf57fOUrZjHOQTypAl5ZxzepaRbnA1F7vEXFmLwNhijVrB8syXItekQd2ZZZ9T6IAlUJkObulvbFo/s320/DQrwx2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFRPRwgQxU48iIa9oTRLhs84UIw2uIysaiRUF7Y8BCe08vH_1oiRVfr28WFPE3Zl6-C6bP6ReZKRU8rJU7rgbpkgq9uwzep6XjBmVGawFEa00W0fD0UJWzb2YLUnsfBMqp0gB_VSEMcqv/s1600/JArw04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFRPRwgQxU48iIa9oTRLhs84UIw2uIysaiRUF7Y8BCe08vH_1oiRVfr28WFPE3Zl6-C6bP6ReZKRU8rJU7rgbpkgq9uwzep6XjBmVGawFEa00W0fD0UJWzb2YLUnsfBMqp0gB_VSEMcqv/s320/JArw04.jpg" width="270" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBfkcxGv73ilJhaaQU-AAyCB4aYjDNUm3NazPWlWQmnCuKR8pdh4bCIYFGNtMcvsIIpOcEll_QU1iJHs1lbqx1oP-g-vMkRJr8u8fs2g4CR4uKBCoVzEeVbnZreTPnQJ7VyET4NVmy4dk/s1600/RW03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBfkcxGv73ilJhaaQU-AAyCB4aYjDNUm3NazPWlWQmnCuKR8pdh4bCIYFGNtMcvsIIpOcEll_QU1iJHs1lbqx1oP-g-vMkRJr8u8fs2g4CR4uKBCoVzEeVbnZreTPnQJ7VyET4NVmy4dk/s320/RW03.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZm_mpO_H4LU_LcdOIeecbNbRYWHlZ9Ii-kIJGErFTfvB8l1XCc0silpLpbG_06utyMZxhJ32vxXAKnj9au8VVyLRqXAje7M3peM2_SFGSDDDN2PQBXdISH2TNvNIWnpYKaebPamS1jaAt/s1600/RW05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZm_mpO_H4LU_LcdOIeecbNbRYWHlZ9Ii-kIJGErFTfvB8l1XCc0silpLpbG_06utyMZxhJ32vxXAKnj9au8VVyLRqXAje7M3peM2_SFGSDDDN2PQBXdISH2TNvNIWnpYKaebPamS1jaAt/s320/RW05.jpg" width="320" /></a>A little over 10 years ago, Dover published a 6-card postcard book that I compiled on <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486421961.html"><i>Mermaids in Art. </i></a><br />
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It was my second effort in pulling together Victorian or Golden Age art into a book (ok, a really small one here) of any sort. There was one piece I really wanted to use in that collection, but despite a good deal of effort, we could not discover exactly when the piece in question had been done, what it was done for, and therefore could not discover if it was truly a public domain work or not. So we let it go. Every once in a while I see the image again, and it continues to be a favorite. Enough so that I dug up some more info on it's artist, but still I am no closer to discovering the date or exact origin of the piece. <br />
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The piece I speak of is <i>The Enchanted Shore,</i> by <b>Rowland Wheelwright (1870-1955)</b> (Shown here as the first piece) The piece is heavy on Romantic influence, and has three of my favorite elements to work with—a mounted knight, mermaids, and crashing surf— and it's sunset/sunrise, so the light is fantastic. Wheelwright's painting style is somewhat influenced by the Impressionists, while his choice of subject is largely pre-Raphaelite.<br />
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Born in Australia, Wheelwright's family raised sheep. After a particularly tough drought in 1891, his family decided to return to Europe, settling in England. Wheelwright later studied at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_von_Herkomer">Hubert von Herkomer's</a> (also a favorite, now it makes more sense) School at Bushey, and lived and worked in that area for most of his life. He remained a prolific artist, and showed work frequently at many of the academies and with societies he had affiliation with. <br />
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After some fresh research, I like Wheelwright even more. And it appears he was the victim of some awful reproduction over the years— see pieces two and three, with comparisons. The <i>Don Quixote </i>piece was familiar to me only as a bad black and white reproduction. When I began to look, I found the oil it was from, and the color and time-of-day it captures is fantastic. Another book plate, this one showing <i>Joan of Arc</i>, appears bright and simple. The second version of it (below, 3) shows a much richer range of value, with the bright spot really directing the viewer as it should be, giving a spiritual quality to the piece almost entirely absent from the brighter reproduction. <span style="color: #990000;">[Correction, these are not actually the same piece of art. The brighter one was likely either a sketch, or a copy done <i>(maybe by someone else!)</i> for the purpose of putting it in the book.]</span><br />
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Also here- A more typical book illustration from <i>Ivanhoe,</i> 1926, and a beautiful image of two young woman in a field of flowers. Can't locate a date on that one, but based on the costume and the hair, it could be 1925-193(8?). Again, great sense of light. <br />
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Four more followers until I give away four more books. If you can't message me, leave a comment that you're interested. <br />
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My absence from more regular posting is not by design, but by necessity. In addition to teaching a night class this semester, I have two large new book projects in the works, (and a third almost finished) which are keeping me very, very busy. Back when I can be. Jeff Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-75750344183061670912012-08-19T10:10:00.002-07:002012-08-19T10:12:30.603-07:00This is a search unfinished. <br />
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In long-ago days of my youth, my quest for the sources of great tales
lead me to read a lot of Celtic mythology—something I still seek out. I
had an old reprinted copy of <i>Celtic Myth and Legend Poetry and Romance</i>, by Charles Squire originally from 1905. My copy then was an English reprint, but Dover publishes it <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486425118.html">as well</a>,
but I'll have to check to see if they printed it with the illustrations or not. I'll get back with that info shortly. There were a few plates among the stories—and the stories
themselves—that gave me exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. The
art I liked the best within that volume was by an illustrator I had not
heard of before, but have kept in the back of my mind, well, for a long
time. <br />
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<b>Ernest Wallcousins</b> (1883-1976) was a British illustrator, who
spent some part of his career working with a studio known as Carlton
Illustrators, in London. Despite scouring my usual sources, and then
some, I can find very little info on this artist. Kind of surprising
considering he was alive just a generation ago.... But I don't find that
a reason to not share some of his work, maybe some of you will find it
as inspiring as I have. And if anybody out there has any info on him,
PLEASE get back to me about it. <br />
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<b>Top to bottom.</b> Three plates from <i>Myths of Babylonia and Assyria,</i>
by Donald A. Mackenzie. Same series as the Celtic myth book previously
mentioned. The color plates in here are great, all of them from the
volume can be seen <a href="http://mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com/2011/05/fire-imagination.html">here</a>.<br />
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Two from <i>Pioneers in Canada,</i> by Henry Johnston. I was expecting
Henry Hudson and the like... what I got was a lot of outdoor/wildlife
images, something else that appeals to me quite a bit. I may post the
rest of these as a follow-up in a few months. <br />
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A Cover from <i>Bibby's Annual,</i> 1921. Wallcousins seems to have
owned this task for quite a few years, producing covers that have a real
poster-like quality. Not unlike the image from the myths above—he may
have had a thing for chariots.<br />
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Two of the "monochrome" plates from <i>Celtic Myth and Legend Poetry and Romance,</i>
that put me on his trail in the first place. I've been looking for
years, but I've never been able to track down any full color printings
of these pieces. They may have been published earlier in color, or,
maybe they were only printed this way. (The Dover edition features a
Wallcousins image I tinted for our cover.) Maybe you can tell me.<br />
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We are almost at a century mark for followers. When we hit it, I'll take
time to send out a few of my Dover books (YOUR CHOICE!) to 5 interested
persons. If you're interested, message me as much. I've signed on as a
follower to my own blog(?), so this communication can happen, so make me
glad I did....<br />
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<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-23535885638401636612012-08-01T21:10:00.001-07:002012-08-02T17:37:52.251-07:00Fine Lines and Solid Blacks, Vol. V<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdplaWUTtsN5ysGeYxuJm9BiCACrUSwffLvqM3l5gLegBMzok1yoZeWXZ6RAZ6En3qEf-D869weXvox6RVESZBrMhrhfg6rxEKe7pCmHZnbRsHBJI9JuMlE0wOPQNCwJ4OSlhGP5nGWfd/s1600/HCander01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdplaWUTtsN5ysGeYxuJm9BiCACrUSwffLvqM3l5gLegBMzok1yoZeWXZ6RAZ6En3qEf-D869weXvox6RVESZBrMhrhfg6rxEKe7pCmHZnbRsHBJI9JuMlE0wOPQNCwJ4OSlhGP5nGWfd/s320/HCander01.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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It has come to my attention that sometimes in discussing the more interesting facets of an illustrator, some of the "basics" can be overlooked. Take <b>Harry Clarke (1890-1931)</b> for example. Harry Clarke is one of my favorites of the period. Over the past few years there has been a VIEW post on some really <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2009/07/some-scarce-harry-clarke.html">hard-to-find Clarke works</a>, and he was mentioned again in reference to a collected work, more recently. To not offer a look at why I think he's worth some more study, is just, well, wrong. So let's fix that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-htcRz8K4amD5Mf0_WPciPtYFzWKDVhEwIZrhdkwvyDgcgeYjSzXa58FhbhZmz7xiN3cvSfTx63pe7loqELzCc7TTFinB5QtZBJIvFV6UACxk2NVpHec9t-b9BypuExmJ0TAzSrH95CFx/s1600/HCander04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCvXGkTegdsLaGu_t3YNAtxYybRDMsPYvRTbiXZkR8R6F_M0lSGzBxLWLX-Jiz4mwVi4DH9BVQrrXKVzN0Q1xiSbFxCZtoTc1ERFh8qFqAoiYF0ToHpGE1vk-h5Jz6ncffW-2QwQ9zU-J/s1600/HCander02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCvXGkTegdsLaGu_t3YNAtxYybRDMsPYvRTbiXZkR8R6F_M0lSGzBxLWLX-Jiz4mwVi4DH9BVQrrXKVzN0Q1xiSbFxCZtoTc1ERFh8qFqAoiYF0ToHpGE1vk-h5Jz6ncffW-2QwQ9zU-J/s320/HCander02.jpg" width="221" /></a>In the small amount of time that Clarke had to share his genius with
the world, he managed to explore a few creative avenues. Stained glass
design may be what he applied most of his time and talent to, and in his
native Ireland there still exist many examples of his fine glass work. I
found Harry Clarke while in my teens, during an after-Christmas book
sale, when a reprint of <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/1606600044.html">Poe's <i>Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i></a>
came into my possession. Like many designer/illustrators of the Golden
Age, Clarke had the opportunity to do a number of gift books, his were
from 1915-1925. The Poe volume is his best known, and easiest to obtain a
reprint of. (It was one of the first selected for the Calla reprint
program, as well) Clarke's others are not as easy to find, though a
reprint of his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Charles-Perrault-Editions/dp/1606600273/ref=sr_1_21?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343877839&sr=1-21&keywords=calla+editions"><i>Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault</i></a> will be available this Fall. Another of Clarke's prizes is his <b><i>Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen.</i></b> All of the works shown here come from that volume. I'm looking at Clarke in a <b>Fine Lines and Solid Blacks</b> segment because I think his ink work is exceptional in his use of pattern and understanding of <i>value—</i>value
here meaning the transition(s) between blacks, grays, and whites, and
how their relative placement on the picture plane affects the
composition. A viewer can observe these images at a glance, or choose to
dig deeper and deeper into them, where a single plate can tell its own
story. Clarke's color illustration doesn't present with the same
intensity through simplicity—black and white—and loses something in the printing,
according to some who have seen his originals.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-htcRz8K4amD5Mf0_WPciPtYFzWKDVhEwIZrhdkwvyDgcgeYjSzXa58FhbhZmz7xiN3cvSfTx63pe7loqELzCc7TTFinB5QtZBJIvFV6UACxk2NVpHec9t-b9BypuExmJ0TAzSrH95CFx/s1600/HCander04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-htcRz8K4amD5Mf0_WPciPtYFzWKDVhEwIZrhdkwvyDgcgeYjSzXa58FhbhZmz7xiN3cvSfTx63pe7loqELzCc7TTFinB5QtZBJIvFV6UACxk2NVpHec9t-b9BypuExmJ0TAzSrH95CFx/s320/HCander04.jpg" width="226" /></a><br />
There has been a kind of scholarly-reawakening in
regards to Clarke in the last five years, but it does look to his glass
work primarily.<br />
<br />
You can keep up with that <a href="http://www.harryclarke.net/index_start.html">here</a>—<br />
and as mentioned in that earlier VIEW blog, here's the link to Jim <a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/clarke.htm">Vadeboncouer's page on Clarke</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
Back shortly. Jeff <br />
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<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-2272576546435794572012-07-04T21:23:00.000-07:002012-07-05T06:43:48.017-07:00W. H. Robinson, with even more Kipling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t1C2SS3XAbYWp7N0eRXzluHrnYLohriXOt-VjxtefNpWw60ntC0LIJWpNJI_cCFVrQGv6Bm_-pbZxiQnErtdp_GG9dQzh-vuHTafa2-6ylqmILju0dTEuirZRbGfH3XWDZvsBJ6GUx3f/s1600/WHR02e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t1C2SS3XAbYWp7N0eRXzluHrnYLohriXOt-VjxtefNpWw60ntC0LIJWpNJI_cCFVrQGv6Bm_-pbZxiQnErtdp_GG9dQzh-vuHTafa2-6ylqmILju0dTEuirZRbGfH3XWDZvsBJ6GUx3f/s320/WHR02e.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<br />
Last October, I put up <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2011/10/wh-robinsons-color-bulls-eye.html">a post</a> about some beautiful color work by <b>W. Heath Robinson (1872-1944).</b> The imagery up at that time was from <i>The Song of the English</i>,
a long poetic piece of writing by Rudyard Kipling. It was one of the
first books I acquired while working on my next Dover outing, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Illustrations-W-Heath-Robinson/dp/0486497933/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341461158&sr=1-1&keywords=jeff+a.+menges">Golden Age Illustration of W. H. Robinson.</a></i> Now I bring it around full circle, to the <i>last</i> book I picked up for that same project. <br />
<br />
While lacking the amount of pieces that show up in <i>Song of the English,</i> this volume of Kipling Poetry— <i>Collected Verse</i>—
has some masterful imagery as well. I almost passed up acquiring it, it
has comparatively few color plates— but I stumbled upon a a 1910
Doubleday copy, with all the art, and a nearly detached cover...that I
got very reasonably. So let me share a few of these with you, as a
preview of the upcoming book. As for the illustrative years of W. H.
Robinson's career, (who later went on to become a very successful
cartoonist, leaving more traditional book illustration to others) the
works he did for these two Kipling volumes in 1909 and 1910 are among
his best. Other books that will be featured in the upcoming Dover work
include images from <i>The Water Babies, A Midsummer Night's Dream,</i> and some of W. H. Robinson's own writings— <i>Uncle Lubin</i> and <i>Bill the Minder.</i><br />
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Next month at some point, I'll bring out some of the best work from his older brother, Charles. <br />
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<br />
<b>Return from the Edge</b><br />
<br />
I've been to the Edge—and it was terrific. If you have ANY CHANCE AT ALL to get to the show mentioned in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Illustrations-W-Heath-Robinson/dp/0486497933/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341461158&sr=1-1&keywords=jeff+a.+menges">my last post,</a>
don't let it get past you. Three big gallery rooms, packed with a
wealth of the best fantastic creatives out there. Thank you, Pat and
Jeannie, and thank you Allentown Art Museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmmnJxw4dfBlItfRe-7BfSY8S1Fd8dpiVksOl3UFJQzOphrtnUv-sqkIY1A5iMZKiMefYgVrbeRiiujgouXK7dYPD7Iv09M8_lpkf17qqaMXnSWPHl9evXsWoQMO1UE2-MeIba96tm0pT/s1600/WHR02c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmmnJxw4dfBlItfRe-7BfSY8S1Fd8dpiVksOl3UFJQzOphrtnUv-sqkIY1A5iMZKiMefYgVrbeRiiujgouXK7dYPD7Iv09M8_lpkf17qqaMXnSWPHl9evXsWoQMO1UE2-MeIba96tm0pT/s320/WHR02c.jpg" width="226" /></a>Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-77820205880198062532012-06-13T21:48:00.001-07:002012-06-13T22:02:11.898-07:00Summertime is Time to Travel. The Wonders We Will See!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAugDoeEQZGhjXz2Chden4o8lv3BOKpW30jLy58FaJuV7d_-UWgRwCKgnrPyHCdFJXVyhf8A3p4gfc8jvICPXCG4PJTtq9i47p19ytDkHzM-itCm9AnRwBAlKiSO0X_g1t_QBoLd8FNFGH/s1600/578117_10150841109371658_908469230_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAugDoeEQZGhjXz2Chden4o8lv3BOKpW30jLy58FaJuV7d_-UWgRwCKgnrPyHCdFJXVyhf8A3p4gfc8jvICPXCG4PJTtq9i47p19ytDkHzM-itCm9AnRwBAlKiSO0X_g1t_QBoLd8FNFGH/s320/578117_10150841109371658_908469230_n.jpg" width="232" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhOEwVLTz6jXvqs9vGrUSBK_BgCFaW63B01NpXUP4XEDTUhK2Hxp4FhmfviW0JQM0BuraR3svq24WRo_74vxci8Tu__Fo_oKcGUfYjIeN9V1SfhNbWlYLtpFCYjc-l880z8s8j9npu0CR/s1600/461748_10150699109176658_57008868_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhOEwVLTz6jXvqs9vGrUSBK_BgCFaW63B01NpXUP4XEDTUhK2Hxp4FhmfviW0JQM0BuraR3svq24WRo_74vxci8Tu__Fo_oKcGUfYjIeN9V1SfhNbWlYLtpFCYjc-l880z8s8j9npu0CR/s320/461748_10150699109176658_57008868_o.jpg" width="320" /></a>Being up to my neck in large scale projects this week—and for quite a
few more to come— it's been easy to let days slide away, but I'm
determined to attempt to maintain some regular connections. <br />
<br />
Before any more time goes by, I have to alert VIEW's readers to two
amazing shows currently on display in the Northeast corner of the US.
The first is from some folks I'm proud to call friends, Pat and Jeannie
Wilshire of <a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">Illuxcon</a> fame have guest curated an exhibit now on display at the Allentown Art Museum in PA. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/exhibition/edge-art-fantastic">At the Edge</a>
is a show unlike any other I've ever known to have been assembled. It
contains the best in "fantastic" art, (in the sense of "fantastical")
from nearly 150 years ago up to the best Imaginative Realist painters
going today. The list is mind-blowing. While the current crop of top
illustrators makes an annual appearance at Illuxcon and is well represented in this show, it is the
historical (i.e. "vintage") stuff that this blog focuses on— and WOW,
they've pulled some masterworks out from private collections (The Kelly
Collection, and The Korshak Collection, and others). This is an
extraordinary opportunity to see some outstanding pieces, from many of
the artists that we discuss here with some regularity. Shown at the
right, Dean Cornwell, Wladyslaw Benda, Edmund Dulac, J. C. Leyendecker
and Franklin Booth... All in one place. <i>Thanks to the Wilshires for permission to repost those images here on VIEW.</i><br />
<br />
The Allentown show runs until September 9th, and appears to be
continually hosting lectures by the biggest and the best. The Wilshires
themselves will be there this Sunday, to present a lecture on the
imagery of the fantastic—<a href="http://allentownartmuseum.ticketleap.com/imagining-reality/"><b>Imagining Reality with Pat and Jeannie Wilshire</b></a> (<i>Roger Dean</i>
will be there a week from now...) They are doing so much to help
fantastic imagery get the respect it deserves. Worth a vacation day, for
sure.<br />
<br />
<b>AND IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH</b><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.nrm.org/2011/05/howard-pyle-american-master-rediscovered/">Howard Pyle Centennial exhibit</a> is showing again, now located at the <a href="http://www.nrm.org/">Norman Rockwell Museum</a> in Stockbridge Mass. <br />
<br />
If you weren't able to make it when it was at the <a href="http://www.delart.org/home.html">Delaware Art Museum</a>, It will be in Mass. until October 28th. I posted some comments on the show <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2012/02/brandywine-moment.html">when I first saw it</a>, but I am planning on seeing it at the Rockwell also.<br />
<br />
Time to hit the road. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-76964976886741834182012-05-23T21:10:00.001-07:002012-05-29T10:20:24.743-07:00Solid portraiture, from the Ukraine<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wkZLQJbvUU3vkk_hcaYwipAbnXlEJEnpRD-hGgS2AatlxKSPhHOm17npttkQr5eyoD8WRx_1BWh3qRW0b89ZUX8dA0mrhoOt9hiFNX9DtYiDs7VJiUBGnbGAYtjTdNwrHJQ6z1kuVRUC/s1600/Ivanowski01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wkZLQJbvUU3vkk_hcaYwipAbnXlEJEnpRD-hGgS2AatlxKSPhHOm17npttkQr5eyoD8WRx_1BWh3qRW0b89ZUX8dA0mrhoOt9hiFNX9DtYiDs7VJiUBGnbGAYtjTdNwrHJQ6z1kuVRUC/s320/Ivanowski01.jpg" width="190" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQumM3B0sr0Ee1IfutqjPnTweZ5YwGTX5iuq_YvExl97VzDQxG_zw5QgmbarkK53kJo1zQxx4FK1LH0gy69CEgpX-KQBcZxTAc0UEf8acC6NsfTlh6N1gNY9R9Wq27KzhHsMmFPKFlcZv/s1600/Ivanowski04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQumM3B0sr0Ee1IfutqjPnTweZ5YwGTX5iuq_YvExl97VzDQxG_zw5QgmbarkK53kJo1zQxx4FK1LH0gy69CEgpX-KQBcZxTAc0UEf8acC6NsfTlh6N1gNY9R9Wq27KzhHsMmFPKFlcZv/s320/Ivanowski04.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwWTttfl-ft_B1CavAn625pB16blhlB_W0GJtH0GU1HiXkHOZ4E1ZdzqoxrrJrT7JRxdznFJE_rN9V5NoRyWXXJYde5gdrefq-Y-M2cBxX3X_rkN2XHcMyIXEHyz2x_NVt079_UF8LpQi/s1600/Ivanowski02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwWTttfl-ft_B1CavAn625pB16blhlB_W0GJtH0GU1HiXkHOZ4E1ZdzqoxrrJrT7JRxdznFJE_rN9V5NoRyWXXJYde5gdrefq-Y-M2cBxX3X_rkN2XHcMyIXEHyz2x_NVt079_UF8LpQi/s320/Ivanowski02.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQumM3B0sr0Ee1IfutqjPnTweZ5YwGTX5iuq_YvExl97VzDQxG_zw5QgmbarkK53kJo1zQxx4FK1LH0gy69CEgpX-KQBcZxTAc0UEf8acC6NsfTlh6N1gNY9R9Wq27KzhHsMmFPKFlcZv/s1600/Ivanowski04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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Though I find small pockets of admiration for this illustrator around the web, I have no idea if my readers have found him, so it falls to me to point him out. That's the basic gist of what this is all about.<br />
<br />
Years ago, in a legendary box delivered to me by the archivist at Dover, I found among the other treasures there, three plates by an artist whose name was new to me. <b>Sigismund de Ivanowski (1875-1944)</b> was Ukrainian born, he was taught in some of the best art cities of Europe, (Munich, Paris, London...) and by some of the best painters of the day. (James Whistler, anyone?) <br />
<br />
After emigrating to the US in 1902, he made his home in NJ, and was active in the NYC art market, including a membership in the Society of Illustrators. Portraiture was his forté, and a series he ran with <i>Century Magazine</i> on <b>Heroines in Literature</b> lasted EIGHT years, from 1906-1914. I don't know the total number of pieces he did for that series, but it has my wheels turning. Most of the work of his that I have seen, has been from that group, as were those three plates in the box. Jane Eyre, (above) was one of the three, and years later, when Dover brought out a Thrift Edition of the tale, I knew there was no other image for our <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486424499.html">cover</a>. <br />
<br />
Ivanowski's illustration output seems to have waned in his later years, I imagine portraiture became the focus of the latter part of his career, though I found evidence that he did some teaching as well. Anyone have any info? <br />
<br />
The other plates were found perusing the net, and I should certainly point you over the great group of plates that turned up at <a href="http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2010/06/sigismund-ivanowski-1875-1944-handfull.html">GoldenAgeComicBookStories</a>. If you haven't stumbled on this blog yet, Mr. Door Tree does a great service uncovering Golden Age material over there.<br />
<br />
There was also a fantastic story about the search for, and the background on (another version?!?) of the last piece here, of <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/thegrandreview.com/peterpanpainting/home">Maude Adams as Peter Pan</a>—by another artist. The story is the kind of bookstore/garage sale archeology we are all hoping to stumble across. (My own take on this, is that the painting in the story, is very likely to have been done after Ivanowski's Peter Pan. Copying art from early print was a convenient way to learn to paint at that time, and these early color plates would have been ideal subject matter.) Could it possibly be Ivanowski's own color sketch? The color palettes are too close for one not to have been related to the other.<br />
<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-31906079069398759842012-05-12T20:20:00.001-07:002012-05-13T17:18:39.372-07:00Second Generation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKCWEuDq8z9uCf-LyqP6TP2h549JrDHyf6NJHIGRcvUNlMSxM5GMAukxC0fC3r0MlzASJFK7MA7DY_uuDjtiAmrol5HPjyNPztTgLemLTQkXglLiPvTqcM5f1WIfiS8rdrvOm1zVocUp9/s1600/Saga03.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKCWEuDq8z9uCf-LyqP6TP2h549JrDHyf6NJHIGRcvUNlMSxM5GMAukxC0fC3r0MlzASJFK7MA7DY_uuDjtiAmrol5HPjyNPztTgLemLTQkXglLiPvTqcM5f1WIfiS8rdrvOm1zVocUp9/s320/Saga03.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWOhZ11mAM3VckS7dkkycaOLlXcbeSGMB6HIfTwg9y2GVQzeoTjbzEP9U5Gr0vsQmSmF4Y0XT6qAfw3zOxqL_FfR-0xOLUnos3TRoYvWZY4AOQFfNTW34ptqR0WE8o8PjsYyufjOy-Uux/s1600/Saga04.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWOhZ11mAM3VckS7dkkycaOLlXcbeSGMB6HIfTwg9y2GVQzeoTjbzEP9U5Gr0vsQmSmF4Y0XT6qAfw3zOxqL_FfR-0xOLUnos3TRoYvWZY4AOQFfNTW34ptqR0WE8o8PjsYyufjOy-Uux/s320/Saga04.jpg" width="202" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfJuzClZf1dZs_VFUNHG6lxrn9kDyO2Bj2DyT8yU0fiCP4nanOlaYRo46Ulgrj5rY5qHl4up3vB-gQnwW1tFjc-ETYvrsaGhazDhcgdEjDovGykPe3aZyKM6usfBwXy9-n43FKAi-NEyj/s1600/wbusucV.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfJuzClZf1dZs_VFUNHG6lxrn9kDyO2Bj2DyT8yU0fiCP4nanOlaYRo46Ulgrj5rY5qHl4up3vB-gQnwW1tFjc-ETYvrsaGhazDhcgdEjDovGykPe3aZyKM6usfBwXy9-n43FKAi-NEyj/s320/wbusucV.jpg" width="267" /></a><br />
It is not that uncommon for a group of siblings to grow up to be artists
(in this case, illustrators) together. Growing up in a house that
encouraged creativity, spurred on by a desire to outdo each other,
families like the <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/search/label/Robinson"><b>Robinsons</b></a>, the <b>Brocks</b>, and the <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2009/06/man-and-myth.html"><b>Leyendeckers</b></a>,
all yielded more than one successful career illustrator. On what seems
to me to be be a somewhat rarer occasion, a child follows in the
career of the <i>parent.</i> I don't think this happens as frequently
due to the fact that following a parent—who has a generation of
experience more—would often seem an insurmountable task for a child to
form their own identity. (Though sometimes following a path already blazed is the easier route) If it does happen, there is often some
deviation in market or medium, to take advantage of the positives, while
eliminating the direct competition. <br />
<br />
Here is a British artist who followed after his father in the earlier part of the Golden Age of Illustration. <b>Gordon Frederick Browne, (1858-1932)</b>
was most active in the 1880-1905, when line was still the king, and
color was going through rapid changes in process and application. (Of a
similar era to <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2010/01/before-rackham-pyle-and-pogany-there.html"><b>Walter Crane</b></a>)
While Browne was successful and prolific in his day, he had followed
after a previous generation—his father being Hablot Knight Browne. Those
who are fans of Charles Dickens' early illustrated works would be
familiar with work of the elder Browne, who worked under the pseudonym
of <i>Phiz</i>. <br />
<br />
Always ready to explore some mythology, George Frederick Browne's Norse pieces here come from 1913's<a href="http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Hoffman&bi=0&bx=off&ds=30&recentlyadded=all&sortby=1&sts=t&tn=The+Book+of+the+Sagas&x=0&y=0"><i> The Book of The Sagas</i></a>.
It is plain to see how much more comfortable he was with his line work—
the loose, fluid forms, and his mastery of understanding value in ink
contrast sharply with the rigid uncertainties that came with exploring
early color reproduction. The younger Browne illustrated hundreds of
books and worked for the British magazine's of the day, such as <i>The Illustrated London News, Cassell's, The Pall Mall Magazine</i> and <i>Puck.</i> The last of the six images is from a volume of fairy tales Browne had collected himself, which features a very unusual take on <i>Beauty and the Beast.</i><br />
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Thanks to Bill O'Connor for the lend of the <i>Saga</i> material.<br />
<br />
Also in the news—my upcoming <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Illustrations-W-Heath-Robinson/dp/0486497933/ref=sr_1_29?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336877505&sr=1-29">Dover profile on W. Heath Robinson</a>,
and his early works has just been announced for next February. This
will examine his more traditional works, before the humorous
contraptions and cartoons that made up the latter part of his career
became the major component of his output.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-1886073276331633642012-04-21T21:25:00.000-07:002012-04-21T21:33:11.183-07:00Fine Lines and Solid black, Vol. IV, A History Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzf1DNQTPENk7ff-xLLMTAqiEGW1irLVjivfNBH6E3hNU5JRpKi5bdlhUZd9BpbfpTpo1WN11bPas5D8QPw8JBVQHi8ykq4JRSmvslI6FyOPcFoa1SSjhNb5SsULB9lk-_Uu_3BjZMvjE/s1600/WHRobinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzf1DNQTPENk7ff-xLLMTAqiEGW1irLVjivfNBH6E3hNU5JRpKi5bdlhUZd9BpbfpTpo1WN11bPas5D8QPw8JBVQHi8ykq4JRSmvslI6FyOPcFoa1SSjhNb5SsULB9lk-_Uu_3BjZMvjE/s320/WHRobinson.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjaTMfG5M9oYDwZglqNYyHI-YAWqkNziAwtAjfLiV_kA6SRnLElOg49ZrB-sOOkCXI0I35XkspnjP8rfZq2CpRLAp03IqYNYxqMeNuRKME2XawgmuTFLnYH3j2Nok7RKGEIMApTaWsLRY/s1600/Crane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjaTMfG5M9oYDwZglqNYyHI-YAWqkNziAwtAjfLiV_kA6SRnLElOg49ZrB-sOOkCXI0I35XkspnjP8rfZq2CpRLAp03IqYNYxqMeNuRKME2XawgmuTFLnYH3j2Nok7RKGEIMApTaWsLRY/s320/Crane.jpg" width="257" /></a>Bump in the road, but I'm here now.<br />
<br />
A few things on the list, but it's been quite a while since I posted a <i>Fine Lines,</i>
so I'm going to go there today. It's also good because a Dover book
I've been waiting for (to mention here) is now available, so should you
thirst for more, 'tis but a few clicks away. <br />
<br />
Last Fall when I was putting together a syllabus for my History of
Animation and Illustration class, I came to an area for required
reading. All of the books I'd <i>like to</i> require for such a class, are
out of print. I recommended a few, but I couldn't require any. But next
Fall, I have one for the list. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486484653.html">500 Years of Illustration: From Albrecht Durer to Rockwell Kent,</a>
by Howard Simon. Originally published in 1942 (That's important,
because when Simon speaks of modern work, he's talking about the late
'30s and early '40's.) <br />
<br />
A tome full of great line art and graphics, this lengthy history starts
with <b>Albrecht Durer's</b> woodcut prints, hits <b>William Hogarth, William Blake,</b> and mid-nineteenth century masters, meanders through Victorian era
early-illustrators, and wraps up with an international tour of some of
the best line illustrators from the early 20th century. If you like your
illustration art with a more graphic quality—where it's about the <i>drawing</i>—this is your book.<br />
<br />
While it contains no color, the drawings and prints it contains (over
400!) and the range of the artists that it samples—make it a great add to the
shelf, both as reference and for inspiration. Some of the pieces and
styles to get lost in—character designs by <b>W. Heath Robinson</b>, up top, followed by <b>Walter
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493614010">Crane </a></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Glittering-Plain-Land-Living/dp/0486254674/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335068183&sr=1-4">designing pages for William Morris,</a> <b>Edmund J. Sullivan's</b> image from <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubaiyat-Omar-Khayyam/dp/0312695276/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335068035&sr=1-2"><i>The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam</i></a>... the source of all of<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s6IBjeQNrMZuil8GwGRyyQ-Apvc5VOeu4WMtk0pbBIcDrxl-vPZm3oGISjAhpNo6GDVRO5vB9bXhCAjD98syoHB6l1ifJz_7r0NjVo7azl0MbkSXtmfV_akLQGeQzato0n11Le9SksqU/s1600/Sullivan.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s6IBjeQNrMZuil8GwGRyyQ-Apvc5VOeu4WMtk0pbBIcDrxl-vPZm3oGISjAhpNo6GDVRO5vB9bXhCAjD98syoHB6l1ifJz_7r0NjVo7azl0MbkSXtmfV_akLQGeQzato0n11Le9SksqU/s320/Sullivan.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
those Grateful Dead stickers. <b>Harry Clarke</b>,<br />
fantastically creepy as always, and <b>Franklin Booth</b>,<br />
getting more value out of ink line than anyone else.<br />
Cover image
is by <b>Aubrey Beardsley</b>. <br />
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<br />Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-37129867533537457432012-03-22T20:39:00.012-07:002012-03-27T20:47:11.118-07:00An Officer of the Society<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIcyJea0-pHLG5BvXhWYfgSHxUhWAqN5kNvfGdOyuhIkBppZsD0moWuf8EAoklHV8LvHolHtkuttavgrl4_WC4io-1TleaieHd5mRtkgfZuuLyT8CKLy5GttKLQmUUca8XsPkPoiCLRNe/s1600/485161-plate011.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIcyJea0-pHLG5BvXhWYfgSHxUhWAqN5kNvfGdOyuhIkBppZsD0moWuf8EAoklHV8LvHolHtkuttavgrl4_WC4io-1TleaieHd5mRtkgfZuuLyT8CKLy5GttKLQmUUca8XsPkPoiCLRNe/s400/485161-plate011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722934478215785458" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWfyytRzb9M7IfGVqlq4K1OYRxYElvfTGQa59eKA_Q0aXu6gc9J4sn7WGcaO8kpS1kAN7BuqBc0lgkPRlROZsiFlFcLrEhU_Wke1JETmg8yNW4uSujKXRSkbuvFNoDiRNgLsv5JTUwioq/s1600/485161-plate040.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWfyytRzb9M7IfGVqlq4K1OYRxYElvfTGQa59eKA_Q0aXu6gc9J4sn7WGcaO8kpS1kAN7BuqBc0lgkPRlROZsiFlFcLrEhU_Wke1JETmg8yNW4uSujKXRSkbuvFNoDiRNgLsv5JTUwioq/s400/485161-plate040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722934410197020642" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwf8ROG40pIOii53AnTmY4mzrQ51inQDP0U1q6QaumT0AECBT2ipve-InZl6T2ehcC6gXraSC4-6bCJv0nAYv8U2xU5C4dE8bM1j-ZJMrLLQNg6w1PS7wPMtFD6zGXapifyFWfp3ELfht/s1600/Keller04.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwf8ROG40pIOii53AnTmY4mzrQ51inQDP0U1q6QaumT0AECBT2ipve-InZl6T2ehcC6gXraSC4-6bCJv0nAYv8U2xU5C4dE8bM1j-ZJMrLLQNg6w1PS7wPMtFD6zGXapifyFWfp3ELfht/s400/Keller04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722934343516410402" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoH2GGT48TNFc75WTXhyWtlUiqySFHiq16LBAJkQUlZ9No7aRXSjBuBloFp-zWj0C5WSVLV5rw72moxcp0vrDqyt77rqpC1BTASUoCw-4EeuMGBWUROeTd-tPqTmm0Rrg9JlWHZT0JH84/s1600/Keller05.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoH2GGT48TNFc75WTXhyWtlUiqySFHiq16LBAJkQUlZ9No7aRXSjBuBloFp-zWj0C5WSVLV5rw72moxcp0vrDqyt77rqpC1BTASUoCw-4EeuMGBWUROeTd-tPqTmm0Rrg9JlWHZT0JH84/s400/Keller05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722934234099303442" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb2tnKlc6XcOwCWoB4nboeC3fZkFOpxupnpQAcJWN0Foqv72LW6hdAS21v6qDrLMtMcpcJRze8yYB1_TVdTG3S9v75fzTtQ2PTUggUHS0ExyvPGwBuruUY6d1Y3FzTTx3iJrFXRB49U0r/s1600/KellerSH01.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb2tnKlc6XcOwCWoB4nboeC3fZkFOpxupnpQAcJWN0Foqv72LW6hdAS21v6qDrLMtMcpcJRze8yYB1_TVdTG3S9v75fzTtQ2PTUggUHS0ExyvPGwBuruUY6d1Y3FzTTx3iJrFXRB49U0r/s400/KellerSH01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722934129185599490" border="0" /></a><br />This ALMOST would have been an entry for the "working class illustrator" column. Some solid work from someone you've likely never heard of. Almost. Then James Gurney (Yes, THAT <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/">James Gurney</a>) brought this portfolio of work to our attention at Dover. Two portfolios, actually, originally published in 1920. Two printed portfolios of <span style="font-style: italic;">figure studies,</span> all done from life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arthur Ignatius Keller (1866-1924) </span>was one of the founding members of the <a href="http://www.societyillustrators.org/About-the-Society/History/History-of-the-Society.aspx">Society of Illustrators</a>, and became the president in 1903. Better than adequate, Keller was a regular to most of the big magazines of the day, and did some book work as well. His 1906 <span style="font-style: italic;">Sleepy Hollow</span> is a real gem of a find, jammed with details and sketch work, even if perhaps a bit overdone by today's standards. When I was asked my opinion on Keller's drawings from life, I concluded that if Dover would print it, they had already sold a copy to me. His ability to capture a communicative gesture, in both a quick study or in a drawing full of deep shadows and hot highlights—shows a dedication that paid off handsomely.<br /><br />The original 1920 edition is prints of photographs of the art. The collage type approach that makes up the pages was often uneven in its tone, so for the <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486485161.html">Dover edition</a> it was decided to even the background, while preserving the line work and the white chalk as well. The two color treatment used to reprint the 90 year old works gives a nice sense of warmth, without flattening out the tone. It's great to have these masterful renderings available for anyone who wants to see them, or study some good drawing. Shown here, 2 pages from the portfolio, a pair of magazine illustrations (?) and lastly, one of the full color plates from that 1906 edition of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</span>—<br /><br />Jim <a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/keller.htm">Vadeboncouer's Keller bio</a>—<br /><br /><br />A nice lengthy <a href="http://www.artintheblood.com/illustrators/keller/keller.htm">bio of Keller on a site about Sherlock Holmes</a> illustrators—Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-30400001700152669792012-03-04T13:41:00.020-08:002012-03-07T18:52:07.782-08:00A Mad tea-party, not a Mad Hatter...Did you know... that Carroll never uses the phrase <span style="font-style: italic;">mad hatter</span>? The readership has adopted that term over the years. It was the <span style="font-style: italic;">party</span>, that was described as a <span style="font-style: italic;">mad tea-party</span>...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYpwn3dm6GAZc5fK8Z-88dbHsY25Z7Hli3L5mEYSrAkRiN7FYAO9jwkWXFTjBX_CPgn1iOzap5DMlH8NmqPkaPevY1-UInBMsTSU-FrK4Ci1grcMcfoVwGZHj9iOGAARFKlTiXxN90xz6/s1600/AEJackson14.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYpwn3dm6GAZc5fK8Z-88dbHsY25Z7Hli3L5mEYSrAkRiN7FYAO9jwkWXFTjBX_CPgn1iOzap5DMlH8NmqPkaPevY1-UInBMsTSU-FrK4Ci1grcMcfoVwGZHj9iOGAARFKlTiXxN90xz6/s400/AEJackson14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716172128189431410" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL09f5LSLBY6Crq_R08f7pdU8SdFIgRAep0qGHwJFhTx2DPPvpB6IukYmSiYV8CmZhDiOd3RMNWfSLhJJ4tUJWzRwGlbTWYvap6yMzVoDets9weAovt_MpOxjxJFhDYgQs7g7FrWdQA0E_/s1600/045+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL09f5LSLBY6Crq_R08f7pdU8SdFIgRAep0qGHwJFhTx2DPPvpB6IukYmSiYV8CmZhDiOd3RMNWfSLhJJ4tUJWzRwGlbTWYvap6yMzVoDets9weAovt_MpOxjxJFhDYgQs7g7FrWdQA0E_/s400/045+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716171876249900162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Well, this is a nice development. A few topics on deck, and my latest Dover "image collection" comes in a bit ahead of the latest predictions.... so I find myself with the new material to give you a glimpse of, and a leg up on next entry. All good.<br /><br />I will admit, that when Dover asked me about doing a <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486482049.html">collection of illustrati</a><a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486482049.html">ons focusing on Lewis Carroll's <span style="font-style: italic;">Alice</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">,</span> though I knew there was a lot of good material to look over, I wasn't sure I'd find enough to keep me interested. It didn't take long before I realized that these few volumes full of over-the-top imaginative stories provide some outstanding material to interpret, and many of my illustration heroes had—well—gone down that hole.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL5VzUj3ZKMiukTGGxndWidXEGu2DiZuD8nv-RlQo_yy_FgYSPCKkt80_qpBjcLQp0ti9xJpdMUFJ_HRr48JHAMq6vTEkxIKjGjiImLTiTZx5HzBQWIo9tBb3FET6JLuTgPkjTeK3nUkq/s1600/CRobinson07.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL5VzUj3ZKMiukTGGxndWidXEGu2DiZuD8nv-RlQo_yy_FgYSPCKkt80_qpBjcLQp0ti9xJpdMUFJ_HRr48JHAMq6vTEkxIKjGjiImLTiTZx5HzBQWIo9tBb3FET6JLuTgPkjTeK3nUkq/s400/CRobinson07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716172240053216946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The spark for this project was a chance meeting almost two years ago, with Mark Burstein—President of the <a href="http://www.lewiscarroll.org/">Lewis Carroll Society of North </a><a href="http://www.lewiscarroll.org/">America</a>. Mark's knowledge of Carroll's work and the depth of his own collection made him a great partner for this volume. Not only did Mark provide a great introduction to the book, but he was able to guide us to some rare material, and lend us a few editions to work from that otherwise might have been unattainable. Kudos to you, sir.<br /><br />In all there are images from 16 different illustrators of Carroll's works. From a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6w2HtuSYYpMG4sxpEu5zr7ECl2MY83qncnD_FZLxxzSPqn4V5bu1FgtKyNvMiATdOOPM1N-Edk82ijMFhMdJeRvKPPxe3X6ehZ_Nwv08dm6FNkXlOs4wOxyknl8Ouh4ilbOo_KZfMia_/s1600/GHudson22.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6w2HtuSYYpMG4sxpEu5zr7ECl2MY83qncnD_FZLxxzSPqn4V5bu1FgtKyNvMiATdOOPM1N-Edk82ijMFhMdJeRvKPPxe3X6ehZ_Nwv08dm6FNkXlOs4wOxyknl8Ouh4ilbOo_KZfMia_/s400/GHudson22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716174036810939890" border="0" /></a>selection of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sir John Tenniel</span>'s work in the original editions, to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arthur Rackham</span> and a wide array of Golden Age art, and finishing up with some great wood engraving by contemporary artist/illustrator <span style="font-weight: bold;">Barry Moser.</span><br /><br />Shown here, top to bottom, <span style="font-weight: bold;">A. E. Jackson</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Charles </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4nFiSvBAelXBpZXoexnU-EKXKSjiZsfUPxTZUhZrNOZ-D6cnnxMVbxrHGy6gbAT3lSjeunKf43-jSumvCOstNC7mELHcjCEFxXj8dHhAq9mdzmBM_RRWt_EJjLKo43Vrt1AXHQg7K02L/s1600/Cover.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4nFiSvBAelXBpZXoexnU-EKXKSjiZsfUPxTZUhZrNOZ-D6cnnxMVbxrHGy6gbAT3lSjeunKf43-jSumvCOstNC7mELHcjCEFxXj8dHhAq9mdzmBM_RRWt_EJjLKo43Vrt1AXHQg7K02L/s400/Cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716175178878652690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Folkard, </span>A wonderfully eerie ink piece by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Charles Robinson, Gwynedd Hudson, </span><span>(who also did the image chosen for the volumes cover, shown as well)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>and a wondrously different "ginger" Alice,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> by Mabel Lucie </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DSHKNiMFZKp2tpyf2zS5LQBFNo2qTrGM_UU1S1isM6zudzmn1N2OrG78HOqfZ0onQD9gQRbmhjL6VvqkhFl8woKcLhGVD9X6lEZ3OdDnMwDWDxr99SYz-si_f38UlAWOnoxtTyaPgARg/s1600/MAttwell10.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DSHKNiMFZKp2tpyf2zS5LQBFNo2qTrGM_UU1S1isM6zudzmn1N2OrG78HOqfZ0onQD9gQRbmhjL6VvqkhFl8woKcLhGVD9X6lEZ3OdDnMwDWDxr99SYz-si_f38UlAWOnoxtTyaPgARg/s400/MAttwell10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716174300336730674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Attwell</span>.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-76944677719427895562012-02-15T21:49:00.000-08:002012-02-17T15:26:18.217-08:00A Brandywine Moment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyB_t85bW-cSwKDxjQUWxji8V9RCemB1ZDwnNNIdNbtrr9I1KaeWs3rCcglFOsFL4pnHrV4SOfDNRwaTBsi7T8BSsQbXl97abhn0VfICf9kkhztcSJpS3P1_ykN0i_KFxbdil2nhUvvHq/s1600/PyleFD.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyB_t85bW-cSwKDxjQUWxji8V9RCemB1ZDwnNNIdNbtrr9I1KaeWs3rCcglFOsFL4pnHrV4SOfDNRwaTBsi7T8BSsQbXl97abhn0VfICf9kkhztcSJpS3P1_ykN0i_KFxbdil2nhUvvHq/s400/PyleFD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709610262961087154" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1caLFVDtA7EGJ3eXvZOvmqO56iUPJkWoqEvBT6rc7BlHHg_G7nppN884ygWpDR3ZmlNAUHy_Czr6HaCuZRN5irUue8t9ILJGZ4Ea7I7AvFOazq2PVgwHM4WO-COyZyCQ3X4MIsd-ddwwW/s1600/PyleAngel.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1caLFVDtA7EGJ3eXvZOvmqO56iUPJkWoqEvBT6rc7BlHHg_G7nppN884ygWpDR3ZmlNAUHy_Czr6HaCuZRN5irUue8t9ILJGZ4Ea7I7AvFOazq2PVgwHM4WO-COyZyCQ3X4MIsd-ddwwW/s400/PyleAngel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709610175920887394" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OUDXUMxWKUM5ZjbBMNSj6PvtC9CqGuIoQfXgjJ9NeKJAQqNVesXSGvrpYcUbnEReMwSMEGc5w8Ir1Z2hagkZxhtmxjGqEm5zChVoMji7DEOeLxqFngNajdIyQzGO7Nn09pqZJ2ocVsGn/s1600/PylePerseus.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OUDXUMxWKUM5ZjbBMNSj6PvtC9CqGuIoQfXgjJ9NeKJAQqNVesXSGvrpYcUbnEReMwSMEGc5w8Ir1Z2hagkZxhtmxjGqEm5zChVoMji7DEOeLxqFngNajdIyQzGO7Nn09pqZJ2ocVsGn/s400/PylePerseus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709610083218189106" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWgl1L2k-xlk1rg3IBumftWGRTrg3nmn-Db13dxd_couupdqbM-npmk9ke6-wLhLIIAh1TTYIWxnw9d0xysRp6dhtbVUVWafqUxaJrch4W2ctqvI5cbsblLaJdlf8ArTLUTm5pgTXqBra/s1600/PyleWhenAll.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWgl1L2k-xlk1rg3IBumftWGRTrg3nmn-Db13dxd_couupdqbM-npmk9ke6-wLhLIIAh1TTYIWxnw9d0xysRp6dhtbVUVWafqUxaJrch4W2ctqvI5cbsblLaJdlf8ArTLUTm5pgTXqBra/s400/PyleWhenAll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709609897987559682" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha632nF9HoL2Pzx4LFRlmptoJKvKNAsr1bNwKdzXnTV7DhF2vaARzT-lYR1QYx9uyW62-7rok1iK7cBP4eB8ldsNizphU3EQ7vQbZJXRkrY5PFzRyocqbxkpWMMZfcJ8WHmF77cl4P1Z6p/s1600/PyleAMR.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha632nF9HoL2Pzx4LFRlmptoJKvKNAsr1bNwKdzXnTV7DhF2vaARzT-lYR1QYx9uyW62-7rok1iK7cBP4eB8ldsNizphU3EQ7vQbZJXRkrY5PFzRyocqbxkpWMMZfcJ8WHmF77cl4P1Z6p/s400/PyleAMR.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709609739391775554" border="0" /></a><br />Some weeks ago I was tooling down I95 on the east coast, bringing my son to school in Baltimore after his Winter break. (I know! I can't believe I'm old enough to do that either!) Here was a golden opportunity to see one of the exhibits I've been waiting for, actually for years. The <a href="http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/howard_pyle.html">Howard Pyle show</a> that marks a century since his passing. It was practically on our way, and I was not about to just pass by. I'd been making some noise about it, so everyone in the car knew we would be there for a bit.<br /><br />The Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, was founded in 1912 with the purpose of gathering and housing Pyle's work. It has become one of the premier museums in the country concerning Illustration, and they have a nice handle on Pre-Raphaelite works as well. I've seen a lot of Pyle's works over the years, and I'm familiar with a broad swath of his imagery— I was keen to see what might surprise me there.<br /><br />Most of the important works are there, <span style="font-style: italic;">Attack on a Galleon, Marooned</span>, and one on my favorites, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flying Dutchman.</span> I still can't get over the size of that piece, it's enormous, almost 6' tall! It's obvious that some pieces he did for love of painting, and some were assignments. Here's two that caught me off guard.<br /><br />The first is a piece<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>—the Angel—I used to close <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486448320.html">my Dover plate book on Pyle</a>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Why seek Ye, the Living Among the Dead?</span> is a real exercise in contrasts and value control. What surprised me was that the original, as photographed here, is so much lighter overall than the reproductions I've become familiar with. Another was this image in gray, or <span style="font-style: italic;">en grisaille,</span> (Pyle and others painted this way sometimes to better suit works to be interpreted by engravers) from Hawthorne's <span style="font-style: italic;">Wonder Book</span> (Stay tuned for more on that ...) The edition with the Pyle illustrations is quite scarce, and I hadn't had a chance to see these before. The light in the piece <span style="font-style: italic;">When All the World was Young</span> was phenomenal, it absolutely glowed from across the gallery room. There is a homestead in the distance at the furthest visible point, very specific, I imagine it must be an actual location. Any ideas?<br /><br />The show is at the Delaware Museum until March 4th, when it travels north to the <a href="http://www.rockwell-center.org/">Norman Rockwell Museum</a> in Stockbridge, Mass., (where I will undoubtedly see it again) June 9th to October 28th. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Pyle-American-Master-Rediscovered/dp/0977164438">The book</a> that accompanies the exhibit may be the best book on Pyle's work to date, I highly recommend it.<br /><br />————<br /><br />Lots to come in the next few weeks...including the new collection <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Illustrated-Classic-Carroll-History/dp/0486482049/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329371926&sr=1-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Alice Illustrated</span></a>—back shortly.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-64619467376280965362012-01-17T20:31:00.000-08:002012-01-18T19:11:21.653-08:00Welcome to Sherwood<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggl1HD0bxs5_5m4yKAUdFv6-8DbQ2yj9ZFyWtx-_pgXFzs3ee3WsrLgtwv40rJqdzbTvLL7UKRn2jYP0qJXj7XrePeWCsd2_7qi4XKC34QIPEXUyzqTXucwpDMfHZfuB4ljOah5rC8M6aA/s1600/RHCrane01+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggl1HD0bxs5_5m4yKAUdFv6-8DbQ2yj9ZFyWtx-_pgXFzs3ee3WsrLgtwv40rJqdzbTvLL7UKRn2jYP0qJXj7XrePeWCsd2_7qi4XKC34QIPEXUyzqTXucwpDMfHZfuB4ljOah5rC8M6aA/s400/RHCrane01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698828521085978898" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUzlEc9uwMyUlNFS7G_msJtEUnVEAfSajnbGq21rd1Wo92FSdKd2do87j41qyI-p047_4S_322FNsPachQUWp3H2wbfdGLytkgv_sFGtTTjQzZRXI4WYIjTG7imfUzGnZBvscJsmaFqw5/s1600/FordHood1+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUzlEc9uwMyUlNFS7G_msJtEUnVEAfSajnbGq21rd1Wo92FSdKd2do87j41qyI-p047_4S_322FNsPachQUWp3H2wbfdGLytkgv_sFGtTTjQzZRXI4WYIjTG7imfUzGnZBvscJsmaFqw5/s400/FordHood1+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698828604822030002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40Tc65CL1GGV6ehtJ5nog9HWyFASwGkz_oyV1t70zAhy_Gc1mytF450PjMNH7kOcffwmdJWfm9bmKrdnyt5w7C4fALLxGUURQhfngFkqQGok1QqEiSi9dQOXVAlsrdJkmhaffCBQaIOcN/s1600/RHPyle02+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40Tc65CL1GGV6ehtJ5nog9HWyFASwGkz_oyV1t70zAhy_Gc1mytF450PjMNH7kOcffwmdJWfm9bmKrdnyt5w7C4fALLxGUURQhfngFkqQGok1QqEiSi9dQOXVAlsrdJkmhaffCBQaIOcN/s400/RHPyle02+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698827092539342466" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzI9tLYnchTAa5xXvQwHF0sdLNVjMw1HmrWc1bVpoO1InoJJgJScimWosyIisrlUOflWnhxmHh9PW7zDLyRuzzowZuwrpm1APfbxxD55h-VuF1lxqQjPqVxr70sFfti097ADQIS-OLnu7/s1600/RHRhead03+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzI9tLYnchTAa5xXvQwHF0sdLNVjMw1HmrWc1bVpoO1InoJJgJScimWosyIisrlUOflWnhxmHh9PW7zDLyRuzzowZuwrpm1APfbxxD55h-VuF1lxqQjPqVxr70sFfti097ADQIS-OLnu7/s400/RHRhead03+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698826959690092050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />In an age before what is now known as "gaming".... before <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lord of the Rings</span> had hit the big screen in any form, there were a different set of mythic heroes. They are still around, but they don't command the stage they way they did in a time before role-playing, blu-ray, and the "six-book series"...<br /><br />Books that were read over and over, stories told for generations, were some of the tales that got the royal treatment when it came to illustrated editions that appeared near the turn of the last century. One such story that has always grabbed my attention is that of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Robin Hood</span>. I've always enjoyed that period in history, and that particular story. Many 1900 era publishers saw the appeal to the tale as well, and many saw fit to add it to their list <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVT7-1jAsZSK5ZR17FZD16C824Sx04Y3R_kcugFkuPOZsqDviEYPdN8ord6aG0ufCRotc8OSouy0UAUIimhyeRd-ZgIljurVLpU0kYGIuZZq1AhaEF-kohL8Z2tcogY6wCtRQm2CSleUE/s1600/RHSchoon01+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVT7-1jAsZSK5ZR17FZD16C824Sx04Y3R_kcugFkuPOZsqDviEYPdN8ord6aG0ufCRotc8OSouy0UAUIimhyeRd-ZgIljurVLpU0kYGIuZZq1AhaEF-kohL8Z2tcogY6wCtRQm2CSleUE/s400/RHSchoon01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698826812083055186" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRCYQ6AgIsnHwbpJYJPi2KCgBOalf7WLV4GZexvwsa-Gh8JTA2onG7Qb-GKBCzx8Uw7sDJ_TBDAzK6AmJbqwBo7Uv0utS4ABQdhQ8cW3-nAIAT3Kfgrf6cTWgKMftNjS6HDEjc1RKsj8b/s1600/Wyeth+RHOOD.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRCYQ6AgIsnHwbpJYJPi2KCgBOalf7WLV4GZexvwsa-Gh8JTA2onG7Qb-GKBCzx8Uw7sDJ_TBDAzK6AmJbqwBo7Uv0utS4ABQdhQ8cW3-nAIAT3Kfgrf6cTWgKMftNjS6HDEjc1RKsj8b/s400/Wyeth+RHOOD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698830565080823138" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0ogp7k2NCtjn0q9_0siUcCJAqo3gSvGSL8Pf6CKkINYgVVXdD3GszebUXcQOJepSfs6Y535U0ciWavT50v8E6xQWlik9REm6NjD0N6-UMjKEPwp99GgKT85ArORcnrn-3-Bhyv5eN_Dq/s1600/RHGodwin01+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0ogp7k2NCtjn0q9_0siUcCJAqo3gSvGSL8Pf6CKkINYgVVXdD3GszebUXcQOJepSfs6Y535U0ciWavT50v8E6xQWlik9REm6NjD0N6-UMjKEPwp99GgKT85ArORcnrn-3-Bhyv5eN_Dq/s400/RHGodwin01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698826604636407858" border="0" /></a>at one point or another.<br />Of my illustration collections that Dover Publications has published, most are thematic by artist, but some are compiled by subject. The first of these was <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/048645746x.html">Illustrations of Poe,</a> and the <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486465225.html">Arabian Nights illustrations</a> were particularly well received. There are a half a dozen or so such titles now, but Robin Hood didn't grab the publisher's interest. I've collected quite a few editions, and thought it could be of some value to share them here on VIEW. Comparing how different artists look at the same story helps you find distinctions, that may help your own illustration or just enjoy one group more than another.<br /><br />Some of my favorites—<span style="font-weight: bold;">Walter Crane</span> (top) near the end of his career, did <span style="font-style: italic;">Robin Hood</span> in 1912. <span style="font-weight: bold;">H.J. Ford</span> (second) did his as part of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Book of Romance</span>, in 1902. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Howard Pyle</span>'s version (third) is full of premier quality line work, and was rewritten by Pyle as well, "to better suit the modern reader". Pyle's version is still reprinted today, and is often the version chosen for text when someone else throws their hat into the "Robin Hood Illustrated" ring.<br /><br />An unusual arrangement took place between <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frank Schoonover</span> (fifth) and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Louis Rhead</span>, (fourth) where for a decade or so, books were produced with Rhead's line work, and a color Schoonover cover plate—even though Rhead got occasional color interior work. <span style="font-weight: bold;">N. C. Wyeth</span>'s oil paintings (sixth) are among some of his best works for Scribner's Classics, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frank Godwin</span>'s brilliant color plates from his 1923 edition (last) almost seem to mark the end of the era. (and these are just the tip of the iceberg...)Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-91678109402518268162012-01-04T20:43:00.000-08:002012-01-04T20:59:17.355-08:00Uncovering the Working Class Illustrator<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3_TzyqU6HnxF2LFkJovVktzjnGSxNG4vVx80Ab0psFiLp4nf6uSTYCBIVrZappc-iKM7eqkj1PzBwu5fXBfNdcJTtlFa-66LPsDtDMYPmAv0cunOZt6I5YrMAZFnHzituxhLjFCuRxRO/s1600/YohnFirst.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3_TzyqU6HnxF2LFkJovVktzjnGSxNG4vVx80Ab0psFiLp4nf6uSTYCBIVrZappc-iKM7eqkj1PzBwu5fXBfNdcJTtlFa-66LPsDtDMYPmAv0cunOZt6I5YrMAZFnHzituxhLjFCuRxRO/s400/YohnFirst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694005039853741634" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG2puL4-Lf3pK1z0ly9OYbwfnu_Mu0IdvFWAuUYBwYxb-iqahhYGRzF19cyBCsYc9S4eHRu0NyoKhMmIDUagHVPG7wDkuWJjFN90kEn13NZPwswNfvVzkVuMNBW6ANkOzL2xff1cBh21a/s1600/35+Yohn04.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG2puL4-Lf3pK1z0ly9OYbwfnu_Mu0IdvFWAuUYBwYxb-iqahhYGRzF19cyBCsYc9S4eHRu0NyoKhMmIDUagHVPG7wDkuWJjFN90kEn13NZPwswNfvVzkVuMNBW6ANkOzL2xff1cBh21a/s400/35+Yohn04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694004925777949202" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyC76A3irSyVn53Y4ffsXy_2XS_X0lEmuW_HXsnzuB0FHqWJSAIb4hIE3Lqxhr5GHJ8dFJfxh9rP3ogRxgVesNtbN2iFH4I6G4Nigv9RRFoqbrwQU5GNXsYNFk7syhD-1qBFYpMUZ0MI3/s1600/YohnJackson.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 395px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyC76A3irSyVn53Y4ffsXy_2XS_X0lEmuW_HXsnzuB0FHqWJSAIb4hIE3Lqxhr5GHJ8dFJfxh9rP3ogRxgVesNtbN2iFH4I6G4Nigv9RRFoqbrwQU5GNXsYNFk7syhD-1qBFYpMUZ0MI3/s400/YohnJackson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694004833424013058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Part of my mission here on VIEW has always been to bring to light some of the period illustration that for one reason or another, did not survive the ages. Yes, it's there for us to dig up, but not all of it is as easy to find as <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arthur Rackham</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maxfield Parrish</span>. I like finding the "Illustrators that Time Forgot". Most of them did some great work—otherwise they wouldn't have gotten the job in the first place...<br /></div><br />Today's subject falls squarely in that category. While he was never a big book illustrator —choosing to work primarily in magazines—that path certainly limited his visible longevity. The few books he did do had little staying power among their titles. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frederick C. Yohn (1875-1933)</span> is a name I've been paging over for years, while I search through old volumes of <span style="font-style: italic;">Scribner's Magazines, Harpers, </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> Colliers.</span> Yohn was incredibly prolific from about 1895-1920, usually tackling scenes of contemporary living, some light romance, or occasionally the modern war story. (His Spanish-American War works were in high demand at the end of the 1890s) Historic work was also to his liking, and he did many scenes of the Revolution as well. Originally from Indiana, Yohn went on to become of the founders of The Society of Illustrators in NYC.<br />His skill set, ease with contemporary settings as well as historic ones, and ability, must have made him a reliable work-horse to the publishers that used him.<br /><br />Pictured here are a WWI poster, three magazine pieces, and a painting that hangs in the Utica Public Library, of General Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBasNabwOVCKHHOkh_uvj1HrGS7bKOz9pU9uQ9E0DJexlNNVEWtjQNDhqbYDgs0bVV_oJuqgfCaDJ_pJq1dUkxxjOt8Xld3bPKu4lT2CXLrpEPO01J5KGDXDIMo2ju_Upk8rMqFHqAW6KY/s1600/38+Yohn01.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBasNabwOVCKHHOkh_uvj1HrGS7bKOz9pU9uQ9E0DJexlNNVEWtjQNDhqbYDgs0bVV_oJuqgfCaDJ_pJq1dUkxxjOt8Xld3bPKu4lT2CXLrpEPO01J5KGDXDIMo2ju_Upk8rMqFHqAW6KY/s400/38+Yohn01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694007635303964770" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFZkWmhi63nU1_-QJ4AzOJsbhrLLsjbZnXaZ4Uu5pXED6lcQ8cEO_MFJfQJVnmujE4oStqy75courIu8sOprPMd2RTAL_epJ8isTt25OoBQQKG4EXykDRfkDEnHqB-ojuvbXo8VbwXBEr/s1600/Herkimer-Oriskany.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFZkWmhi63nU1_-QJ4AzOJsbhrLLsjbZnXaZ4Uu5pXED6lcQ8cEO_MFJfQJVnmujE4oStqy75courIu8sOprPMd2RTAL_epJ8isTt25OoBQQKG4EXykDRfkDEnHqB-ojuvbXo8VbwXBEr/s400/Herkimer-Oriskany.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694007877451549218" border="0" /></a>Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-20243881359098532422011-12-19T20:46:00.000-08:002012-01-04T20:04:42.261-08:00Fine Lines and Solid Blacks, V. III.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8VUWzhf9C2wIXOZGHRM7fFBbXhBlDMDDnMFYTqjPhwRGTALbKvwdVGlK3tBLMZVMU7qKRnOeAtno8n69n9tYmDxzgniFbAHdwgvOWTiLN7P0WWOECTtLQw1H5GUz9ctZAyr-YIg3IkfL/s1600/01JB.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8VUWzhf9C2wIXOZGHRM7fFBbXhBlDMDDnMFYTqjPhwRGTALbKvwdVGlK3tBLMZVMU7qKRnOeAtno8n69n9tYmDxzgniFbAHdwgvOWTiLN7P0WWOECTtLQw1H5GUz9ctZAyr-YIg3IkfL/s400/01JB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688069005851859586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iiW4S3tzKJXoQPHbEaw6LvkQJTNLv77n8AHaY8UxsXS3mnxHt285micDaXCNnw0-LJqQzcn6K3NmFsWsekUdcsVbcxPj5vdTPDw1XbudyL0_ye01ZW9nlJtdJukyqlPso_rucBhMBm1R/s1600/03jdb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iiW4S3tzKJXoQPHbEaw6LvkQJTNLv77n8AHaY8UxsXS3mnxHt285micDaXCNnw0-LJqQzcn6K3NmFsWsekUdcsVbcxPj5vdTPDw1XbudyL0_ye01ZW9nlJtdJukyqlPso_rucBhMBm1R/s400/03jdb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688068903225701442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGnDTJZyWTeTrKC-gFTrA1UdksT0Uv5aR07ikXosfmRUcdvHabPnSuXn4TKilGKnJBYXrF9COnHIiHU8_GXkU50vKYOV8K0k-aVyQlwKFRhyphenhyphennwA8HN73SZc2DwX148RuLMRmzSX7BXoXj/s1600/04jdb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGnDTJZyWTeTrKC-gFTrA1UdksT0Uv5aR07ikXosfmRUcdvHabPnSuXn4TKilGKnJBYXrF9COnHIiHU8_GXkU50vKYOV8K0k-aVyQlwKFRhyphenhyphennwA8HN73SZc2DwX148RuLMRmzSX7BXoXj/s400/04jdb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688068801480386658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn3YLQQ6VwxqZ0TrJdxlnrF84AUr5hc20VBGyTidraLcUvLnZUaoXwMn9CGg03XuhGPTB8ODDy5nw_k-GhHnaI3UM4vgu-bvL27Im650azf1yRZno6h0mhJncVYIGIfr8l5Eh77lQMEbK/s1600/05jdb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn3YLQQ6VwxqZ0TrJdxlnrF84AUr5hc20VBGyTidraLcUvLnZUaoXwMn9CGg03XuhGPTB8ODDy5nw_k-GhHnaI3UM4vgu-bvL27Im650azf1yRZno6h0mhJncVYIGIfr8l5Eh77lQMEbK/s400/05jdb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688068726403117106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtypNFdOu30HWl21ezjY8LkmszVOzdvV26O_8oRHS79dYHP4DOHzp_5o5A0o2l26wiXTt7BmS6SlelROeyQl6IAbfXRdhf_wRV5JEb0gq6vrMCF5n8H638tRRzQ2F0DnA10wghbiQ8KrV/s1600/00JDB.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtypNFdOu30HWl21ezjY8LkmszVOzdvV26O_8oRHS79dYHP4DOHzp_5o5A0o2l26wiXTt7BmS6SlelROeyQl6IAbfXRdhf_wRV5JEb0gq6vrMCF5n8H638tRRzQ2F0DnA10wghbiQ8KrV/s400/00JDB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688068593808559778" border="0" /></a><br />If you've followed this blog for some time, you know I'm a big fan of the work of British illustrator <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2009/09/beginnings-of-modern-fantasy-h-j-ford.html">H. J. Ford</a>.</span> In conversation with a friend recently , we were discussing that appreciation, when he brought up <span style="font-weight: bold;">John D. Batten. (1860-1932)</span>. I'd been aware of Batten, but I hadn't really explored his work until this came up.<br /><br />At times in their careers, the works of Batten and Ford might have been nearly indistinguishable. Primarily line artists, both Batten and Ford often relied on intricate frames to surround their scenes, sometimes with a hand-written caption. Both worked in mythology and fairy stories—and both formed partnerships with writer/historians that explored fairy tales, and made minor heroes out of the illustrators to generations of children. The Batten/Joseph Jacobs partnership thrived throughout the 1890s, when they produced six books— <span style="font-style: italic;">English Fairy Tales, Celtic Fairy Tales, More English Fairy Tales, More Celtic Fairy Tales, Indian Fairy Tales,</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Book of Wonder Voyages</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Indian Fairy Tales,</span> in particular, yielded some great pieces of ink work. The last three here are from that book—"The Demon with the Matted Hair" is a fantastic piece of creature design. Tusks <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>a beak. During my undergrad work, long ago, I did a large ink piece with a complex Celtic frame—which I realize now, was modeled after Batten's style.<br /><br />--------<br /><br />My first semester teaching History of Illustration and Animation has wrapped up, and I hope to invest more time in the blog again to help it happen more regularly. Have a great holiday.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-61326950316862308962011-11-19T19:52:00.000-08:002011-11-21T06:02:40.002-08:00Getting things Dunn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdVu5X_lZLPVdETUj51kH0XRDC4h7_RDcNAzsRgKoNXH4w63WnTjHDIl7Upeq-pSEjIOeudySDGiX8GZFDO5sSMl3s4IvtDO8wK3W8NPXYwwI8Jy_zByeBODC2SMGJt5xTZ78L3HGCVKM/s1600/Dunn01+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdVu5X_lZLPVdETUj51kH0XRDC4h7_RDcNAzsRgKoNXH4w63WnTjHDIl7Upeq-pSEjIOeudySDGiX8GZFDO5sSMl3s4IvtDO8wK3W8NPXYwwI8Jy_zByeBODC2SMGJt5xTZ78L3HGCVKM/s400/Dunn01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195592935869826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R8iNbqVPTKc5DY24gaWkX_GTEd9CaIZOeSrgMDIoIUAUnOjCrEx_EKtJOZ2wwVtVf63StiGYuz_2egTddQxp8VoKyflP8iM2JN8KmIuS05paMbyp-HVeQgJRugwIduk1jGnDrKnw8Wc8/s1600/Dunn02+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R8iNbqVPTKc5DY24gaWkX_GTEd9CaIZOeSrgMDIoIUAUnOjCrEx_EKtJOZ2wwVtVf63StiGYuz_2egTddQxp8VoKyflP8iM2JN8KmIuS05paMbyp-HVeQgJRugwIduk1jGnDrKnw8Wc8/s400/Dunn02+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195513535993058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJO5DZuuTLIno3ZHCUmcKRIn0OZtBsBDidP2DnsZlTweDiT_krEXzPYrHr92hCVznQl40Y2-pDcOWosTVcOHHvTIADhGpl83L1rCYMOA-N-44z3dJri7HVvY1Do4FqaQ9yLu7p4PL9DkPq/s1600/Dunn03+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJO5DZuuTLIno3ZHCUmcKRIn0OZtBsBDidP2DnsZlTweDiT_krEXzPYrHr92hCVznQl40Y2-pDcOWosTVcOHHvTIADhGpl83L1rCYMOA-N-44z3dJri7HVvY1Do4FqaQ9yLu7p4PL9DkPq/s400/Dunn03+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195444244647842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K0e0QL0OxOf-jUsz6O4Yx3PJOy1dR5S2Ofkx4ux8AP9E7Zgq9lVlT-sK-ceplEGrLNJ90QS0fQbGsx1FlhsiuKKXU6VB8CyF8Y4iJNTDetvSV9vBtuS2cj5W5uvZPzzt1ZQTMdLCiz2i/s1600/Dunn04+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K0e0QL0OxOf-jUsz6O4Yx3PJOy1dR5S2Ofkx4ux8AP9E7Zgq9lVlT-sK-ceplEGrLNJ90QS0fQbGsx1FlhsiuKKXU6VB8CyF8Y4iJNTDetvSV9vBtuS2cj5W5uvZPzzt1ZQTMdLCiz2i/s400/Dunn04+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195381763820402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7Ny-3HwFGal6wXOT__3aZMZNiElrkZEXsSZPgVAZP-lDNZ5k1oyLTV7oDU8q64uYFn9PvvJNwcUMSPh_sr1Y5V5mkW6STxqDVSavPZg4vK6XDldyoDP5Y5XwG9y14hYwweuG0dfaq71G/s1600/Dunn05+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7Ny-3HwFGal6wXOT__3aZMZNiElrkZEXsSZPgVAZP-lDNZ5k1oyLTV7oDU8q64uYFn9PvvJNwcUMSPh_sr1Y5V5mkW6STxqDVSavPZg4vK6XDldyoDP5Y5XwG9y14hYwweuG0dfaq71G/s400/Dunn05+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195310917898658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pnacp-bUFuQmlOQ7nTZphnzDYdgkfqO02ZWNEncNeJ1BnS6iKlM6RzVddjd3lqNdkRRY_1uvyHoCwhauoYN2hv4nl7o1O19h_boDjHMpikzk0Ng3zYuFesNHvSiIRLRPy0_UEBrU6Zgh/s1600/Dunn06+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pnacp-bUFuQmlOQ7nTZphnzDYdgkfqO02ZWNEncNeJ1BnS6iKlM6RzVddjd3lqNdkRRY_1uvyHoCwhauoYN2hv4nl7o1O19h_boDjHMpikzk0Ng3zYuFesNHvSiIRLRPy0_UEBrU6Zgh/s400/Dunn06+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195221440970338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y_PPLXMD5Y_mkuEcrahvcELBluFYpVkk1TRF_SpGTAcUS9zJz0yxwo4eZIuzkplm_3XEDr1Hzv3lS-jI8fjK2wY6EMc1LXdLgJo7z-nHF7FBLjcTaW-DrUHzBIVHaKTyokGrQfx3UUi4/s1600/harvey-dunn-by-walt-reed-cover-big.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y_PPLXMD5Y_mkuEcrahvcELBluFYpVkk1TRF_SpGTAcUS9zJz0yxwo4eZIuzkplm_3XEDr1Hzv3lS-jI8fjK2wY6EMc1LXdLgJo7z-nHF7FBLjcTaW-DrUHzBIVHaKTyokGrQfx3UUi4/s400/harvey-dunn-by-walt-reed-cover-big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677195122141889138" border="0" /></a><br />Last week was "Illustration Week" in NYC. It was declared so by the mayor—and gave NYC an excuse to tout the rich history of illustration that has passed through it, in the publishing houses, the schools, and of course the illustrators themselves. The <a href="http://www.societyillustrators.org/">Society of Illustrators</a> made the most of it, with a week of special guests, lectures, and events. I was happy to add my two cents late in the week with a lecture on the illustrations of <span style="font-style: italic;">Alice in Wonderland,</span> previewing my upcoming <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Illustrated-Classic-Carroll-History/dp/0486482049/ref=sr_1_33?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321824328&sr=1-33">Dover book</a> to the Lewis Carroll Society of North America— who happened to hold their annual Fall meeting in NYC that same week. It was a busy week following up a trip to <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">Illuxcon</a></span>, which all means a longer than usual absence from the blog. Let's get back on track.<br /><br />I try not to turn to book reviews for subject matter when posting—but one came into the studio recently, that so completely covers an artist I've wanted to feature, that I can't ignore the book and the material it so masterfully displays. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harvey Dunn (1884-1952)</span> came through Howard Pyle's Brandywine school, but with a direction all his own (primarily, a western one). I've looked for works by Dunn before with the hope of compiling a post of his works, but until now his work has not been as well collected as some of his other Pyle school alums. The right man for this challenge was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Walt Reed</span>. Walt is a legend in American illustration. He and his son Roger run <a href="http://www.illustrationhouse.com/">Illustration House</a> in NYC—a gallery for original illustration works, and Walt is the author behind numerous major books on illustration, most importantly, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000.</span> I consider this book the first stop for much of the research I do, and it would be required reading for my class were it still in print.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Harvey Dunn: Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West</span> is expertly compiled, both in its selection of images and the accompanying texts. The section that I find most interesting is in the end of the volume, where a small book called "An Evening in the Classroom" from 1934 has been reprinted in its entirety, giving fantastic insight into Dunn's teaching approach. Don't let this one slip by you.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-6900792685639347672011-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:002011-10-11T19:54:54.761-07:00W.H. Robinson's Color Bulls-Eye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM4xQaTcwqqIyr855fsfotXAajaUUDv2W8y3NR_4bPJjxr3SP0r3k5bVJVHIn-EuVREREzAY8hOXkSTVfjIjtK-20I047LJINPTwQj4K2hw1VRNG8JCJm7EchArct2KdpMuLMT8x_iKoJ/s1600/SOE01.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM4xQaTcwqqIyr855fsfotXAajaUUDv2W8y3NR_4bPJjxr3SP0r3k5bVJVHIn-EuVREREzAY8hOXkSTVfjIjtK-20I047LJINPTwQj4K2hw1VRNG8JCJm7EchArct2KdpMuLMT8x_iKoJ/s320/SOE01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662428549455838802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnU_m-YzwRE6SS_Im2SU9xLE17LfO-L-cKcq-KLBGPQ5oZfTgcr87WTd4yna9PRBTEFhPe8E9Q5Aabw72uDvzJ20vO4CAfs3CNtfJSXClFTEj4T8_Y3xFhTZ-KRtgf0mVYLP-jhI62XQA/s1600/SOE02.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnU_m-YzwRE6SS_Im2SU9xLE17LfO-L-cKcq-KLBGPQ5oZfTgcr87WTd4yna9PRBTEFhPe8E9Q5Aabw72uDvzJ20vO4CAfs3CNtfJSXClFTEj4T8_Y3xFhTZ-KRtgf0mVYLP-jhI62XQA/s320/SOE02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662428483474372674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp5Tnw_AbXeBEJWaa94huhrP9uu0mZ_HDDL-ZYr4ziNFjrc0HGAiOEAlriDpIvGSXZKT52r-qzciHDPJnB98jE8Nd8VZdEV3D5zyM_wPRiwg1m7LRmhnQ-lYe40Xt8u2A7YKSvKhI8hoe/s1600/SOE03.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp5Tnw_AbXeBEJWaa94huhrP9uu0mZ_HDDL-ZYr4ziNFjrc0HGAiOEAlriDpIvGSXZKT52r-qzciHDPJnB98jE8Nd8VZdEV3D5zyM_wPRiwg1m7LRmhnQ-lYe40Xt8u2A7YKSvKhI8hoe/s320/SOE03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662428405199190082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEK7HVNK-Wnqyi_n8CC_yW9f7vKdUgdODuKa-y2BLbR2tKiozztELqaZq5E1WeZ7Oo_3ja0diQZ6xowB6GPPoOGk-vMc5b_VPyVdNx1J0dgBEmB8Yb4LwXtz9b3hw2DmhzcBHvu9EVTA6/s1600/SOE04.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEK7HVNK-Wnqyi_n8CC_yW9f7vKdUgdODuKa-y2BLbR2tKiozztELqaZq5E1WeZ7Oo_3ja0diQZ6xowB6GPPoOGk-vMc5b_VPyVdNx1J0dgBEmB8Yb4LwXtz9b3hw2DmhzcBHvu9EVTA6/s320/SOE04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662428317312527042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DwD0-lZUUhyozvZggBjsOvsNsOFTXzOfQXhFntNpFOr2yzuocXezva9Q5ldXeZX8j8d_N66C6EKIBGUnrts0Og2FbJsCL9i5tfF3wYlEt_dDqjp2ZshLf9YsQom9eS3eRVPFdtM5PfmD/s1600/SOE05.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DwD0-lZUUhyozvZggBjsOvsNsOFTXzOfQXhFntNpFOr2yzuocXezva9Q5ldXeZX8j8d_N66C6EKIBGUnrts0Og2FbJsCL9i5tfF3wYlEt_dDqjp2ZshLf9YsQom9eS3eRVPFdtM5PfmD/s320/SOE05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662428229549058578" border="0" /></a><br />What do I mean by that... you ask? I mean, he hit dead center on this one with his color work.<br /><br />A few months ago while profiling the Calla Fall 11 releases (there's still one Golden Age reprint left to discuss) I posted a selection of <span style="font-weight: bold;">William Heath Robinson</span>'s (British, 1872-1944) <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2011/05/fine-lines-solid-blacks-v-ii.html">line work from </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2011/05/fine-lines-solid-blacks-v-ii.html">Midsummer Night's Dream</a>.</span> WHR's line in that volume is beautifully clean and balanced, while the characters are intricate and full of personality. It's <span style="font-style: italic;">gorgeous</span> ink work—but I chose not to review the color plates in that volume. I can't say the color work (in <span style="font-style: italic;">MSND</span>) has the same impact on me as the ink work; the color is fine, but the ink work is <span style="font-style: italic;">excellent.</span><br /><br />In other internet wanderings, I come across plates for a volume that W. H. Robinson produced in 1909. <span style="font-style: italic;">A Song of the English,</span> by Rudyard Kipling. In this volume, the line work, while plentiful, is rather ordinary, but the color work here <span style="font-style: italic;">absolutely sings</span>. I did some homework, and found that only the earliest copies contained all 30 of the color images... and they fetch quite a price. but good things come to those who wait, and after some time, I came across a nice copy which I can share with you today. Each of these five images is shown with the surrounding piece of line-work frame, printed in a soft color on the text stock, which frames the tipped-in full-color illustration. All of the plates for the volume are visible <a href="http://www.nocloo.com/gallery2/v/heath-robinson-song-english/?g2_page=1">here</a>, if you have a yearning to see the whole set.<br /><br />or the whole volume, poem, line work, and all, <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/songofenglish00kipl">here</a><br /><br />The poem is about the grand Empire of Britain, which was quite extraordinary when Kipling wrote it in 1896. (The poem was originally published as part of the <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seven Seas</span>) The dated qualities of the poem, and the attitudes that may not be universally favorable, may detract a bit from the books value in today's market, but the illustrations are some of W. H. Robinson's best. Subtlety, symbolism, solid figures, beautiful color.<br />_______<br /><br />In more current times, if any of you folks are heading off to <a href="http://www.illuxcon.com/">Illuxcon</a>, in Altoona, PA in a few weeks, (for the Illustration conference that happens there annually) keep an eye out for me—I'll have some of my books along with my own work at the Showcase event on Friday night.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-48374802036380112152011-09-24T19:44:00.000-07:002011-09-30T15:18:28.394-07:00A Different Quality of Line<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ot28lkUqsq4TrulcGW9wVQ1cMsJ37r95mmKqlr6_R5X8qsiGUf0LY5esawr6uItHL-cQM47q1FeHG3l8nh6gTqvYI1F4tk5vUqFuuwnvz5h4MwelXx83_aTCOPiDg4gUffEFbhY-S8zM/s1600/046.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ot28lkUqsq4TrulcGW9wVQ1cMsJ37r95mmKqlr6_R5X8qsiGUf0LY5esawr6uItHL-cQM47q1FeHG3l8nh6gTqvYI1F4tk5vUqFuuwnvz5h4MwelXx83_aTCOPiDg4gUffEFbhY-S8zM/s320/046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656125934173871522" border="0" /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfztqPecwnkZBgX6yx531s08w0mVcHsNX39fx_u2D3spI9PZZMjIFl5ak1dS2xhCozLye6VB_4NAKRQp9pwr-bkk4B1ZXrcc7Xv4VNUMxi6cfsp9_xndjCmH0Xfi4peXfc4FSWYtbQrB0p/s1600/104.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfztqPecwnkZBgX6yx531s08w0mVcHsNX39fx_u2D3spI9PZZMjIFl5ak1dS2xhCozLye6VB_4NAKRQp9pwr-bkk4B1ZXrcc7Xv4VNUMxi6cfsp9_xndjCmH0Xfi4peXfc4FSWYtbQrB0p/s320/104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656125856078038114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span>Scottish artist</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Jessie M. King</span>—(1875-1949) created a more emotionally driven image—Unlike most of her contemporaries at the turn of the century, King was interested in portraying a highly stylized figure, and illustration that communicated by its design as well as by its illustrative properties.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-VDwfIuDchuq5IbHV7HbCzJk0AE8tjqI4ONnUcNToiX4Y__AK-FXJidYNNP_CiQld_e_BOLSiYdcfJU-23nPBI-q8yTsPsAu-rr_9tpBWWqHkPCVBVJMRTVzQ1LXkamDYZs5O4x_KR5-/s1600/JKing+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-VDwfIuDchuq5IbHV7HbCzJk0AE8tjqI4ONnUcNToiX4Y__AK-FXJidYNNP_CiQld_e_BOLSiYdcfJU-23nPBI-q8yTsPsAu-rr_9tpBWWqHkPCVBVJMRTVzQ1LXkamDYZs5O4x_KR5-/s320/JKing+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656125749112555698" border="0" /></a><br />King would become quite popular as a book designer and illustrator in her early career, but it was her design sense that sets her apart, making her work readily identifiable. Frail lines, (I read one description as <span style="font-style: italic;">gossamer</span>— which fits nicely) usually flat figure treatments, often set within a framework. The caption or accompanying text was often woven within the construct of the piece. King's form of calligraphy was so distinct that it can be used today, through a font which bears the name of a "center" she formed for women artists, <a href="http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.htm?productid=169257">Greengate</a>. (I've actually used it frequently, and only now discovered it to be based on her lettering...)<br /><br />Brought to my attention recently through the latest Calla Edition releases- the first two here are from that volume, (which is Oscar Wilde's fairy tale collection—<a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/1606600214.html">A House of </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxbruNvRFpyyvm7HdJsIk3EYa6SOPof-nbATiBQTFl01PEllm8eOQuYUANUC1MVykfM0eAjBnBtqC_SWJHYUXGhS8-x_pUbKhtp7mqwj1ualnOSxOfd7HkSObTWTfdKJpmBspAyt3ICpz/s1600/LovesGolden.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxbruNvRFpyyvm7HdJsIk3EYa6SOPof-nbATiBQTFl01PEllm8eOQuYUANUC1MVykfM0eAjBnBtqC_SWJHYUXGhS8-x_pUbKhtp7mqwj1ualnOSxOfd7HkSObTWTfdKJpmBspAyt3ICpz/s320/LovesGolden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656125588061011762" border="0" /></a><a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/1606600214.html">Pomegranates,</a> illustrated in 1915) and a few from some others, to show a bit more variety. The black-and-white line piece is from a 1901 book entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Modern Pen Drawings</span>. It is captioned "Pelleas et Mélisande," and would have been among her <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16B4DaoRGvk0qrqJYHWo6AcVqzngPlEwCQUuibJMRzF7iKOtjK0ntkZyjmxpCD0XcM2qSn-vSHO2MRJxBv3lJZ1BnbWjnFGZO3c-SOMpw56-c5VPi70BtW69E2j5kiyPD37JhUOleqolg/s1600/SeaVoices.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16B4DaoRGvk0qrqJYHWo6AcVqzngPlEwCQUuibJMRzF7iKOtjK0ntkZyjmxpCD0XcM2qSn-vSHO2MRJxBv3lJZ1BnbWjnFGZO3c-SOMpw56-c5VPi70BtW69E2j5kiyPD37JhUOleqolg/s320/SeaVoices.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656125523962907426" border="0" /></a>earliest published works. The final two pieces are from a portfolio of drawings that King had published in a Christmas issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Studio</span>, in 1913—<br /><br />---------<br /><br />My class at Montclair U. is moving along nicely... we looked at some of Jessie King's line work this past week.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-28744603998584387112011-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:002011-09-07T17:44:24.230-07:00A New Chapter, and finally—N. C. Wyeth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCirrENToJz01nGiKBdNXN4EoMaxjaAdZ71Y1amH9yH5I-Hn-bYyJGdWF1XfNbJQlpe4Fx9_pOzyd2tQJTAPOKVDLudhpDRkxG1NGpb4zgqHugm3T3cNAoBqPROMa6YCSU9pl1NeJDYrfH/s1600/067+Wyethfpo+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCirrENToJz01nGiKBdNXN4EoMaxjaAdZ71Y1amH9yH5I-Hn-bYyJGdWF1XfNbJQlpe4Fx9_pOzyd2tQJTAPOKVDLudhpDRkxG1NGpb4zgqHugm3T3cNAoBqPROMa6YCSU9pl1NeJDYrfH/s320/067+Wyethfpo+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647958127486914802" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnlOjNYNlsbHoplfZblOF94vnZtrl6_vNNaRMeJrN_NY_CnTkhJ9cz4ihAInUWKPhAZYIsjpJQTTlvkRqkQRUTfsgn_Ta8vOx4fHT6woNOQUAj1nOE3y3X6Qmb00Pm5mzKcMRGvWb6X3n/s1600/NCW+BroncoJAM+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnlOjNYNlsbHoplfZblOF94vnZtrl6_vNNaRMeJrN_NY_CnTkhJ9cz4ihAInUWKPhAZYIsjpJQTTlvkRqkQRUTfsgn_Ta8vOx4fHT6woNOQUAj1nOE3y3X6Qmb00Pm5mzKcMRGvWb6X3n/s320/NCW+BroncoJAM+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647958186376456978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6veK71bnck3maZ-hg0Poa8y47SY2dxSzaFN56Ds-_dsKmp3L9Qm4-NcWkCiRRMty4ferkVJQ2Gv2BVqf2bHxCLmmPmZpNsfm8Zh5w2TOJX0r_ISglUqP78Q6-UagSE-DS8iAOwJ5pa2sS/s1600/080Wyethfpo.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6veK71bnck3maZ-hg0Poa8y47SY2dxSzaFN56Ds-_dsKmp3L9Qm4-NcWkCiRRMty4ferkVJQ2Gv2BVqf2bHxCLmmPmZpNsfm8Zh5w2TOJX0r_ISglUqP78Q6-UagSE-DS8iAOwJ5pa2sS/s320/080Wyethfpo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647957967275448962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNjchw8ggJPnAAiwAf-WMoDkfYTsEE1L3LLCZTqHIA0UllcosWbBcP0WfbCUXVmMDrwo07ExpaEgzUAuJGYl3mF7H7rZVHl15Rj6KhKwgmk_GUKlysBz0eZa6z1FgqV_r-E7dzZ7-hBzf/s1600/068+Wyethfpo+copy+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNjchw8ggJPnAAiwAf-WMoDkfYTsEE1L3LLCZTqHIA0UllcosWbBcP0WfbCUXVmMDrwo07ExpaEgzUAuJGYl3mF7H7rZVHl15Rj6KhKwgmk_GUKlysBz0eZa6z1FgqV_r-E7dzZ7-hBzf/s320/068+Wyethfpo+copy+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647958060010651154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7Ra-ltIq0Dj3d_wNTx9r33GxxOGQEbpjDFqzoMXHKzP1YccOMPVrJR0NIul4jU9C7qdAn-lVAkGfgCBoT1bqV3hGaTNDqW73cjLfIRfkFpQABfxCOEawhNxPgT5XoH8XVX29XpgrGc4G/s1600/115Wyethfpo+copy.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7Ra-ltIq0Dj3d_wNTx9r33GxxOGQEbpjDFqzoMXHKzP1YccOMPVrJR0NIul4jU9C7qdAn-lVAkGfgCBoT1bqV3hGaTNDqW73cjLfIRfkFpQABfxCOEawhNxPgT5XoH8XVX29XpgrGc4G/s320/115Wyethfpo+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647957885285803826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's a lot of change this month. My son started college—it's a bit more quiet at home.<br /><br />Next week, <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm going back to school</span>, in a way somewhat relevant to this blog. After working out the timing with Dover, I'm about to start teaching<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The World of Illustration and Animation</span> at Montclair State University, in NJ.<br />Not too different from the kind of stuff I've been doing here at VIEW, but much deeper and more thorough. I'm working to iron out how this is all going to come together, and I'll try to keep you posted— I imagine that I'll be finding lots of good stuff to share here.<br /><br />------<br /><br />Last post I mentioned the release of my new book on <span style="font-weight: bold;">N. C. Wyeth, 1882-1945</span>. The book's title is <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486472957.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Great Illustrations by N. C. Wyeth</span></a>. I've been a fan of Wyeth's work since my teenage years. When he was on top of his game, Wyeth was one of the best painters going. He is considered by many to be the star student to come from Howard Pyle's "Brandywine School." From Needham Mass, Newell Convers Wyeth traveled to Pyle's Wilmington, Del. school with hopes to enroll in the Fall of 1902, and there began one of the most storied careers in the field of illustration. Wyeth's work was hugely influential, not only for its qualities, but also due to its reach. The years he spent doing work for the <span style="font-style: italic;">Scribner's Illustrated Classics</span> created a shelf full of volumes with images that have been burned into our memories, and reprinted for decades.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Great Illustrations by N. C. Wyeth</span> reviews work of his earlier career, before easel painting became a larger part of his output. There are the classic pieces—images from <span style="font-style: italic;">Treasure Island, Robin Hood, </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">King Arthur</span>— his early western work, and magazine and advertising illustrations that have rarely been reprinted. One of the real finds reprinted in this collection, is a three page article written by Wyeth himself in 1919, on the quest "For Better Illustration." For me, it was great to discover works I was not as familiar with, like these pieces from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Pike County Ballads</span>, 1912, (the steamer and the bar scene) and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Courtship of Miles Standish,</span> 1920. (The last piece, with bright candles and the back-lit figure.)<br /><br />---------<br /><br />Congrats and kudos to my friends and colleagues who are currently showing their work as a part of FIT/NYC's first class of <a href="http://fitnyc.edu/3450.asp">MFA illustration grads</a>. If you're in or around NYC, stop by the museum at FIT for a real treat.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-54174042350615319102011-08-20T21:29:00.000-07:002011-08-20T21:51:15.296-07:00Thomas MacKenzie, in with good company<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFLwddoeDHzfFm64cDuW2sRT84kVZSlLspNMofgdYMzZOnq38GwKWaOCcoIAPSGLU5zoJ78mBldcgolWkdrFSwI9uZX714NqTRxIwcYYFPLYpyYviTt6k1Fs8YJmlz05b43Iysb-e1HCa/s1600/Mack+05.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFLwddoeDHzfFm64cDuW2sRT84kVZSlLspNMofgdYMzZOnq38GwKWaOCcoIAPSGLU5zoJ78mBldcgolWkdrFSwI9uZX714NqTRxIwcYYFPLYpyYviTt6k1Fs8YJmlz05b43Iysb-e1HCa/s320/Mack+05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643166815990624098" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwgEzMvnv261DF0kWNyzzB3czYF47QuVBW_9KGAXODpU7hv2vVCR_MYBEgaqSGPsSq9CB3yJIZZIdPRm_QlQ2AKoS9IqtQ2gYD6cAX0Xud7PG9lPZJjRl5EF2PoaJoPUI4beCcbim2I5z/s1600/Mack+07.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwgEzMvnv261DF0kWNyzzB3czYF47QuVBW_9KGAXODpU7hv2vVCR_MYBEgaqSGPsSq9CB3yJIZZIdPRm_QlQ2AKoS9IqtQ2gYD6cAX0Xud7PG9lPZJjRl5EF2PoaJoPUI4beCcbim2I5z/s320/Mack+07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643166750038807906" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZH-ny6Ylv4U2Yc2M3O0rMEFVd_fkc3ssRBlUwGA0PI89QXyl0YBb12o0mg72TIdAfroBfpohmh0We6GcJ73ieiDn3nDgjsWo-WLYafggu9-l1oE-vW0-iOt91ONBfmCy74TyEFhFgQ7C/s1600/Mack+08.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZH-ny6Ylv4U2Yc2M3O0rMEFVd_fkc3ssRBlUwGA0PI89QXyl0YBb12o0mg72TIdAfroBfpohmh0We6GcJ73ieiDn3nDgjsWo-WLYafggu9-l1oE-vW0-iOt91ONBfmCy74TyEFhFgQ7C/s320/Mack+08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643166667593077138" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg4U6aa7O_amk6wzVXCik3OMnocSASAje3529zfemHEdbHf1q3mwoJ3ty_1qqK6cRB_X0uNK5OEqXdFjgga7J_LdyFfzgkzTmfV1F-6Ar1od5xQZ9voV4o_Og9k1Kw22BY4AmQk5S97fr/s1600/Mack+12.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg4U6aa7O_amk6wzVXCik3OMnocSASAje3529zfemHEdbHf1q3mwoJ3ty_1qqK6cRB_X0uNK5OEqXdFjgga7J_LdyFfzgkzTmfV1F-6Ar1od5xQZ9voV4o_Og9k1Kw22BY4AmQk5S97fr/s320/Mack+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643166503693419938" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHkm5yIHM_GOtKBdh9K4kqyFqt2abia_ilRfMUeAtFBBICt-EOfazM51Wj92CRQdrNfoxjCBeP3lJMGdmign14TqaB5Gdyi9xmmxFDQ8vv0Ov2y_o6TmOruwmDZNFKE9pN5HvOM-1qmwi/s1600/009.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHkm5yIHM_GOtKBdh9K4kqyFqt2abia_ilRfMUeAtFBBICt-EOfazM51Wj92CRQdrNfoxjCBeP3lJMGdmign14TqaB5Gdyi9xmmxFDQ8vv0Ov2y_o6TmOruwmDZNFKE9pN5HvOM-1qmwi/s320/009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643166420509651234" border="0" /></a>
<br />Summer greetings to you all, especially those who signed on in the past few weeks! There's been a lot of activity in the studio, a few projects I can't discuss just yet, and some things coming together as we, err, speak.
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<br />I had thought to take a break from previewing Calla Editions, but then I got an advance copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Wonderful-Rhyme-Calla-Editions/dp/1606600028V"><span style="font-style: italic;">Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, In Rhyme.</span></a>
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<br />My first look at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas MacKenzie</span>'s illustration happened about three years ago. While working on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Illustrated-Folkard-Parrish/dp/0486465225/ref=sr_1_27?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313901202&sr=1-27"><span style="font-style: italic;">Arabian Nights Illustrated</span></a> in 2008, The good team in our acquisition office got their hands on a copy of this volume (<span style="font-style: italic;">Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, In Rhyme,</span> 1919) for me to consider adding the material to the collection. It was also about the time when the whole idea of reprinting beautifully illustrated books in near facsimile reproduction (The idea that would become the <span style="font-style: italic;">Calla</span> line of books) was taking shape. What makes <span style="font-style: italic;">Aladdin</span> a gem is not the 12 solidly stylish color plates—but <span style="font-style: italic;">add to that</span> the line work that is woven into the text throughout the entire book—and while it's earlier printing was on a rough, porous stock that did not reproduce the blacks with great clarity, <span style="font-style: italic;">Calla</span> reset the text, to match the spacing, but provide cleaner reading. I had not expected to be so impressed with this volume, but it really surprised me.
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<br />MacKenzie (1887-1944) was new to me. There is influence from the likes of Harry Clarke, and back to Aubrey Beardsley. Other names like Alistair, and Kay Neilsen aren't far from thought. Excellent company, to be sure. The next book he would illustrate was <span style="font-style: italic;">King Arthur and His Knights.</span> Seven of those plates appear in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Visions-Camelot-Great-Illustrations-Arthur/dp/048646816X/ref=sr_1_32?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313901341&sr=1-32">Visions of Camelot.</a> Though busy in the early twenties, his career was short-lived, and after a half-dozen titles or so, he did not return to illustration.
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spirit of the Ages</span> offers a set of all twelve of the color illustrations, <a href="http://spiritoftheages.com/Aladdin%20and%20His%20Wonderful%20Lamp%20in%20Rhyme%20%281920%29%20-%20Thomas%20Mackenzie.htm">here</a>. They appear a bit over-saturated to my eye, but that is a matter of opinion.
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<br />A full version of an early edition of the book can be seen <a href="http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7053347M/Aladdin_and_his_wonderful_lamp_in_rhyme.">here</a>-
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<br />My newest book- <a href="http://store.doverpublications.com/0486472957.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Great Illustrations by N. C. Wyeth</span></a>— has just been made available on the Dover site This week-
<br />Want an idea of what's in it? check out the <a href="http://web.doverpublications.com/cgi-bin/toc.pl/0486472957">table of contents</a>-
<br />I'll be back next post, with a better look at this new collection- Til then-
<br />JeffJeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712762271062767433.post-10513658830174941972011-07-23T20:35:00.000-07:002011-07-23T20:46:21.606-07:00Edmund Dulac's Fairy tale forte<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcv3aDphPVSqWU7N_JjQTahHhOGPDojK7iqW4qAR5cN8Ucbmv0SeGF7EsI0i53-vJOWjOH3fceXtxwgadLAJIkC-buJwhWajf9RpxaCa1qsWPYnE2leOnm2WYoOnyJL1VN9SUrwBTnWav/s1600/DulacsbFron.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcv3aDphPVSqWU7N_JjQTahHhOGPDojK7iqW4qAR5cN8Ucbmv0SeGF7EsI0i53-vJOWjOH3fceXtxwgadLAJIkC-buJwhWajf9RpxaCa1qsWPYnE2leOnm2WYoOnyJL1VN9SUrwBTnWav/s320/DulacsbFron.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632759968983320882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SSZv4UqQ_vmbSnf9zTYR6gyG274QMPS-6MYUSwSI-HsX9_hcMadjS1R9fT3OC471eOjDMSVlLFL27vde_53q5tgykPUbE3EoluTutFZ038RzHU5P_Fud3xWOjk1nm0n6P7HWrzA3yeYZ/s1600/DulacBB.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SSZv4UqQ_vmbSnf9zTYR6gyG274QMPS-6MYUSwSI-HsX9_hcMadjS1R9fT3OC471eOjDMSVlLFL27vde_53q5tgykPUbE3EoluTutFZ038RzHU5P_Fud3xWOjk1nm0n6P7HWrzA3yeYZ/s320/DulacBB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632759883292745186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiQmkoTK6eW5bZskWrCf5hwVAFMvWuNmciPrFKlU87b0V4AVHsTsU8g4nUkIjRd-lroCZvLkzpbiGuezI7V3dwUVD0lm2uPlquEKoBbGbqd-ls5k29jZvAMg9dsvQnacBtvWJ-VyNNEa0/s1600/DulacCinder01.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiQmkoTK6eW5bZskWrCf5hwVAFMvWuNmciPrFKlU87b0V4AVHsTsU8g4nUkIjRd-lroCZvLkzpbiGuezI7V3dwUVD0lm2uPlquEKoBbGbqd-ls5k29jZvAMg9dsvQnacBtvWJ-VyNNEa0/s320/DulacCinder01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632759806814488610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5EFWGsxuEmbcSsk-LwzuNW9qa_cOZJGR7Jqd2OZAVRhg365y6eWSLEhRrvclxuELWAIYXB0WO-h4NYDOz1MsIMKHlUSIJ43gvgWeeuTVRpIJpXYRPN6M0qf1wVvnTJt28FvepAu7GZkc/s1600/DulacCinder02.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5EFWGsxuEmbcSsk-LwzuNW9qa_cOZJGR7Jqd2OZAVRhg365y6eWSLEhRrvclxuELWAIYXB0WO-h4NYDOz1MsIMKHlUSIJ43gvgWeeuTVRpIJpXYRPN6M0qf1wVvnTJt28FvepAu7GZkc/s320/DulacCinder02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632759725672727330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72hZJTup67NIcSySkYB61jJ7wNwLbxiOUKGUSGd2Y4LPpbNFhFcYWCge6iXxfnK7QS_ezpCjgZ_6JNnx_WkUu5JDC3rkxFfUVpI4x3M8wbT6Yr2pj29E21HCkvHSLXjtT4QfELkuodaeT/s1600/DulacBBeast02.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72hZJTup67NIcSySkYB61jJ7wNwLbxiOUKGUSGd2Y4LPpbNFhFcYWCge6iXxfnK7QS_ezpCjgZ_6JNnx_WkUu5JDC3rkxFfUVpI4x3M8wbT6Yr2pj29E21HCkvHSLXjtT4QfELkuodaeT/s320/DulacBBeast02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632759626999883522" border="0" /></a><br />In continuing my previews of the upcoming Calla releases, we are brought to an Edmund Dulac's illustrated edition—<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Beauty-Other-Fairy-Tales/dp/1606600192/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311475495&sr=1-2">The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales</a>, retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. Quite a while ago, I spent some time on VIEW looking at two of the "edges" of Dulac's range- <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-sophistocated-works-of-dulac.html">his more sophisticated works,</a> and the <a href="http://withaviewto.blogspot.com/2009/11/edmund-dulac-man-of-letters.html">Alphabet book</a> he did early in his career. As a subject, The French fairy tales collected here are much more to the heart of Dulac's work, maybe only Arabian Nights material being more centric. This is considered by most to be among his best works, and with 30 full-page plates, it's hard to not find a few that are really special. Shown here, some of my favorites, from (Top to bottom) The frontispiece, from "The Sleeping Beauty," one from "Bluebeard," where Dulac let his love for Arabian themes come through—Two plates from "Cinderella," which as depicted here have a solidly French approach, and lastly a plate from "Beauty and the Beast," which may be one of Dulac's best-known fairy images.<br /><br />Dulac was French-born, and likely would have been familiar with some of these tales from his own youth. Regardless of his history with the tale, it is quite evident there was a real passion put into the illustrations, they succeed on so many levels.<br /><br />There are tales here that nearly all of us are familiar with—mostly due to the saturation our culture has with animated films—but there are also some stories which we may not be as quick to remember and are well worth revisiting. Quiller-Couch was quite an authority on writing and on children's stories in his day, and a solid writer on his own, to boot.Jeff A. Mengeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396361705043444451noreply@blogger.com0