The Golden Age of
Illustration is not and more than likely never will be considered to be an
actual art movement. In fact, the artists who started this endeavor and those
who followed in their paint strokes are rarely noted and their substantial
contributions to their field have never been generally acknowledged.
This does not mean however,
that we as the general public must continue to condone the principles set forth
regarding what does or does not constitute "true" art.
Without illustrators,
perhaps this idiom is why the art community fails to recognize these people as
true artists; we would have been deprived of many exciting moments in
literature. Especially when we read the classic books of Rudyard Kipling (Mowgali
Stories-1936) and (Barbar, The Little Elephant-1931) as well as a host of other
famous children books that relied on their wonderful illustrations to add a
sense of depth and truism to their tales.
Imagine E.B. White's Stuart
Little (1945) and Charlotte's Web (1952) without the beautiful drawings that
gave physical characteristic to the excellently written description of the
mischievous little mouse and the splendor the renderings gave to Charlotte and
her offspring.
Recall how energetic the
colorful renderings portrayed the troublesome cat in Dr. Seuss's Cat in the
Hat. The vivid imagination of Dr. Seuss brilliantly portrayed the antics of
this zany feline while the illustrations brought life to the character.
Magazines have depended on
illustrators since the first publication rolled off the presses. Not only to
support the contents of their stories and articles, but to attract readers to
their magazines as well.
By using illustrations on
their covers they added a sense of deepness and curiosity to what their magazine
may contain and thusly entice a reader to pick up their publication and possibly
enlist a new subscriber.
It is difficult NOT to
consider The Golden Age of Illustration a movement, as it involved many
individuals and several countries that were able to take advantage of modern
technologies which allowed a more accurate and economical method of reproducing
the graphic art that was in such demand by an energetic public.
European Golden Age
illustrators, such as Arthur Rackman (1867-1939), Walter Crane (1845-1915) and
Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) were motivated by the styles and techniques of the
Pre-Raphaelites while finding inspiration from such design oriented movements as
Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.
American artists, on the
other hand, had subscribed to the theories and techniques of the Brandywine
Tradition. Originally started by Howard Pyle and continued by his students
including N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911) and Maxfield
Parrish (1870-1966).
The Golden Age of
Illustration is considered to be one of the greatest eras of American Art.
Sadly, it is almost never mentioned, has gathered little support and even sadder
is that it is yet to be truly appreciated.
When we consider the
diversity of these talented craftsmen and passionate artists we need to remember
that there has never been another group of these highly visible, yet meagerly
profiled artists, prior to The Golden Age of Illustration...or since!
It would not be unfair to
suggest that this group of illustrators, among them Norman Rockwell (1884-1978),
N.C. Wyeth and Dorothy Lathrop , the first recipient of the Caldecott Medal for
"most distinctive American picture book for children" (Animals of the
Bible-1937), to be extensively studied by all artists, patrons and art
historians.
Even in the 21st Century it
appears that the illustrator's of books and magazines are yet to be acknowledged
as passionate and talented members of an established art movement.
Art is subjective and it
consists of many diverse schools of individuals who use their talents to portray
their world and to make a viable
statement of their
perspectives.
So the questions remains
unanswered. Do illustrators not fall with in the criteria that says art is to
be a personal interpretation of what one sees and understands as affecting their
world?
And lastly, should artists
be discouraged from following their calling because their field of endeavor is
not yet recognized as being "true" art?
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The Golden Age of Illustration - A Stan Klos Website
By Neal McLaughlin
The Golden Age of Illustration is not and more than likely never will be
considered to be an actual art movement. In fact, the artists who started this
endeavor and those who followed in their paint strokes are rarely noted and
their substantial contributions to their field have never been generally
acknowledged.
This does not mean however, that we as the general public must continue to
condone the principles set forth regarding what does or does not constitute
"true" art.
Without illustrators, perhaps this idiom is why the art community fails to
recognize these people as true artists; we would have been deprived of many
exciting moments in literature. Especially when we read the classic books of
Rudyard Kipling (Mowgali Stories-1936) and (Barbar, The Little Elephant-1931) as
well as a host of other famous children books that relied on their wonderful
illustrations to add a sense of depth and truism to their tales.
Imagine E.B. White's Stuart Little (1945) and Charlotte's Web (1952) without the
beautiful drawings that gave physical characteristic to the excellently written
description of the mischievous little mouse and the splendor the renderings gave
to Charlotte and her offspring.
Recall how energetic the colorful renderings portrayed the troublesome cat in
Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat. The vivid imagination of Dr. Seuss brilliantly
portrayed the antics of this zany feline while the illustrations brought life to
the character.
Magazines have depended on illustrators since the first publication rolled off
the presses. Not only to support the contents of their stories and articles, but
to attract readers to their magazines as well.
By using illustrations on their covers they added a sense of deepness and
curiosity to what their magazine may contain and thusly entice a reader to pick
up their publication and possibly enlist a new subscriber.
It is difficult NOT to consider The Golden Age of Illustration a movement, as it
involved many individuals and several countries that were able to take advantage
of modern technologies which allowed a more accurate and economical method of
reproducing the graphic art that was in such demand by an energetic public.
European Golden Age illustrators, such as Arthur Rackman (1867-1939), Walter
Crane (1845-1915) and Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) were motivated by the styles and
techniques of the Pre-Raphaelites while finding inspiration from such design
oriented movements as Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.
American artists, on the other hand, had subscribed to the theories and
techniques of the Brandywine Tradition. Originally started by Howard Pyle and
continued by his students including N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Edwin Austin Abbey
(1852-1911) and Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966).
The Golden Age of Illustration is considered to be one of the greatest eras of
American Art. Sadly, it is almost never mentioned, has gathered little support
and even sadder is that it is yet to be truly appreciated.
When we consider the diversity of these talented craftsmen and passionate
artists we need to remember that there has never been another group of these
highly visible, yet meagerly profiled artists, prior to The Golden Age of
Illustration...or since!
It would not be unfair to suggest that this group of illustrators, among them
Norman Rockwell (1884-1978), N.C. Wyeth and Dorothy Lathrop , the first
recipient of the Caldecott Medal for "most distinctive American picture book for
children" (Animals of the Bible-1937), to be extensively studied by all artists,
patrons and art historians.
Even in the 21st Century it appears that the illustrator's of books and
magazines are yet to be acknowledged as passionate and talented members of an
established art movement.
Art is subjective and it consists of many diverse schools of individuals who use
their talents to portray their world and to make a viable statement of their
perspectives.
So the questions remains unanswered. Do illustrators not fall with in the
criteria that says art is to be a personal interpretation of what one sees and
understands as affecting their world?
And lastly, should artists be discouraged from following their calling because
their field of endeavor is not yet recognized as being "true" art?
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