Of The Decorative Illustration Of Books Old And New Part 10

Mr. New's feeling is for quaint streets and old buildings, which he draws with conscientious thoroughness, and attention to characteristic details of construction and local variety, without any reliance on accidental atmospheric effects, but using a firm open line and broad, simple arrangements of light and shade, which give them a decorative look as book ill.u.s.trations. It is owing to these qualities that they are ornamental, and not to any actual ornament. Indeed, in those cases where he has introduced borders to frame his pictures, he does not seem to me to be so successful as an ornamentist pure and simple, though in his latest work, the ill.u.s.trations to Mr. Lane's edition of Isaac Walton's "Compleat Angler," there are pretty headings and tasteful t.i.tle scrolls, as well as good drawings of places.

[Ill.u.s.tration: INIGO THOMAS.

FROM "THE FORMAL GARDEN." (MACMILLAN, 1892.)]

The question of border is, however, always a most difficult one. One might compare the ill.u.s.trative drawings of architecture and gardens of Mr. Inigo Thomas in Mr. Reginald Blomfield's work on gardens, with Mr.

New, as showing, with considerable decorative feeling, and feeling for the subject, a very different method of drawing, one might say more pictorial in a sense, the line being much thinner and closer, and in effect greyer and darker. The introduction of the t.i.tles helps the ornamental effect.

[Ill.u.s.tration: INIGO THOMAS.

FROM "THE FORMAL GARDEN." (MACMILLAN, 1892.)]

Among the leading artists of the Birmingham School must be mentioned Mr.

H. Payne, Mr. Bernard Sleigh and Mr. Mason for their romantic feeling in story ill.u.s.trations; Miss Bradley for her inventive treatment of crowds and groups of children; Miss Winifred Smith for her groups of children and quaint feeling; Mrs. Arthur Gaskin also for her pretty quaint fancies in child-life; Miss Mary Newill for her ornamental rendering of natural landscape, as in the charming drawing of Porlock; and Miss Celia Levetus for her decorative feeling. It may, at any rate, I think be claimed for it, that both in method, sentiment, and subject, it is peculiarly English, and represents a sincere attempt to apply what may be called traditional principles in decoration to book ill.u.s.tration.

Among the recent influences tending to foster the feeling for the treatment of black and white design and book ill.u.s.trations, _primarily from the decorative point of view_, the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society may claim to have had some share, and they have endeavoured, by the tendency of the work selected for exhibition as well as by papers and lectures by various members on this point, to emphasize its importance and to spread clear principles, even at the risk of appearing partial and biased in one direction, and leaving many clever artists in black and white unrepresented.

[Sidenote: ILl.u.s.tRATION AND DECORATION.]

Now for graphic ability, originality, and variety, there can be no doubt of the vigour of our modern black and white artists. It is the most vital and really popular form of art at the present day, and it, far more than painting, deals with the actual life of the people; it is, too, thoroughly democratic in its appeal, and, a.s.sociated with the newspaper and magazine, goes everywhere--at least, as far as there are s.h.i.+llings and pence--and where often no other form of art is accessible.

But graphic power and original point of view is not always a.s.sociated with the decorous ornamental sense. It is, in fact, often its very ant.i.thesis, although, on the other hand, good graphic drawing, governed by a sense of style to which economy or simplicity of line often leads, has ornamental quality.

I should say at once that sincere graphic or naturalistic drawing, with individual character and style, is always preferable to merely lifeless, purely imitative, and tame repet.i.tion in so-called decorative work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HENRY PAYNE.

FROM "A BOOK OF CAROLS." (ALLEN, 1893.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: F. MASON.

FROM "HUON OF BORDEAUX." (ALLEN, 1895.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: GERTRUDE M. BRADLEY.

THE CHERRY FESTIVAL. (FROM A PEN DRAWING.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARY NEWILL.

PORLOCK. (FROM A PEN DRAWING.)]

[Sidenote: DECORATIVE PRINCIPLES.]

While I claim that certain decorative considerations such as plan, scale balance, proportion, quant.i.ty, relation to type, are essential to really beautiful book ill.u.s.tration, I do not in the least wish to ignore the clever work of many contemporary ill.u.s.trators because they only care to be ill.u.s.trators pure and simple, and prefer to consider a page of paper, or any part of it unoccupied by type, as a fair field for a graphic sketch, with no more consideration for its relation to the page itself or the rest of the book, than an artist usually feels when he jots down something from life in his sketch-book.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CELIA LEVETUS.

A BOOKPLATE.]

I think that book ill.u.s.tration should be something more than a collection of accidental sketches. Since one cannot ignore the constructive organic element in the formation--the idea of the book itself--it is so far inartistic to leave it out of account in designing work intended to form an essential or integral part of that book.

I do not, however, venture to a.s.sert that decorative ill.u.s.tration can only be done in _one_ way--if so, there would be an end in that direction to originality or individual feeling. There is nothing absolute in art, and one cannot dogmatize, but it seems to me that in all designs certain conditions must be acknowledged, and not only acknowledged but accepted freely, just as one would accept the rules of a game before attempting to play it.

The rules, the conditions of a sport or game, give it its own peculiar character and charm, and by means of them the greatest amount of pleasure and keenest excitement is obtained in the long run, just as by observing the conditions, the limitations of an art or handicraft, we shall extract the greatest amount of pleasure for the worker and beauty for the beholder.

[Sidenote: THE DIAL.]

Many remarkable designers in black and white of individuality and distinction, and with more or less strong feeling for decorative treatment, have arisen during the last few years. Among these ought to be named Messrs. Ricketts and Shannon, whose joint work upon "The Dial" is sufficiently well known. They, too, have taken up printing as an art, Mr.

Ricketts having designed his own type and engraved his own drawings on wood. They are excellent craftsmen as well as inventive and original artists of remarkable cultivation, imaginative feeling and taste. There is a certain suggestion of inspiration from William Blake in Mr. Shannon sometimes, and of German or Italian fifteenth century woodcuts in the work of Mr. Ricketts. The weird designs of Mr. Reginald Savage should also be noted, as well as the charming woodcuts of Mr. Sturge Moore.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C S. RICKETTS.

FROM "HERO AND LEANDER." (THE VALE PRESS.)]

Another very remarkable designer in black and white is Mr. Aubrey Beardsley. His work shows a delicate sense of line, and a bold decorative use of solid blacks, as well as an extraordinarily weird fancy and grotesque imagination, which seems occasionally inclined to run in a morbid direction. Although, as in the case of most artists, one can trace certain influences which have helped in the formation of their style, there can be no doubt of his individuality and power. The designs for the work by which Mr. Beardsley became first known, I believe, the "Morte d'Arthur," alone are sufficient to show this. There appears to be a strong mediaeval decorative feeling, mixed with a curious weird j.a.panese-like spirit of _diablerie_ and grotesque, as of the opium-dream, about his work; but considered as book-decoration, though it is effective, the general abstract treatment of line, and the use of large ma.s.ses of black and white, rather suggest designs intended to be carried out in some other material, such as inlay or enamel, for instance, in which they would gain the charm of beautiful surface and material, and doubtless look very well. Mr. Beardsley shows different influences in his later work in the "Savoy," some of which suggests a study of eighteenth century designers, such as Callot or Hogarth, and old English mezzotints.

[Sidenote: THE STUDIO.]

[Sidenote: CONTEMPORARY ILl.u.s.tRATORS.]

"The Studio," which, while under the able and sympathetic editors.h.i.+p of Mr. Gleeson White, first called attention (by the medium of Mr. Pennell's pen) to Mr. Beardsley's work, has done good service in ill.u.s.trating the progress of decorative art, both at home and abroad, and has from time to time introduced several young artists whose designs have thus become known to the public for the first time, such as Mr. Patten Wilson, Mr.

Laurence Housman, Mr. Fairfax Muckley, and Mr. Charles Robinson, who all have their own distinctive feeling: the first for bold line drawings after the old German method with an abundance of detail; the second for remarkable taste in ornament, and a humorous and poetic fancy; the third for a very graceful feeling for line and the decorative use of black and white--especially in the treatment of trees and branch work, leaves and flowers a.s.sociated with figures.

Mr. J. D. Batten has distinguished himself for some years past as an inventive ill.u.s.trator of Fairy Tales. In his designs, perhaps, he shows more of the feeling of the story-teller than the decorator in line, on the whole; his feeling as a painter, perhaps, not making him quite content with simple black and white; and, certainly, his charming tempera picture of the sleeping maid and the dwarfs, and his excellent printed picture of Eve and the serpent, printed by Mr. Fletcher in the j.a.panese method, might well excuse him if that is the case.

Mr. Henry Ford is another artist who has devoted himself with much success to Fairy Tale pictures in black and white, being a.s.sociated with the fairy books of many different colours issued under the fairy G.o.dfather's wand (or pen) of Mr. Andrew Lang. He, too, I think perhaps, cares more for the "epic" than the "ornamental" side of ill.u.s.tration; he generally shows a pretty poetical fancy.

At the head, perhaps, of the newer school of decorative ill.u.s.trators ought to be named Mr. Robert Anning Bell, whose taste and feeling for style alone gives him a distinctive place. He has evidently studied the early printers and book-decorators in outline of Venice and Florence to some purpose; by no means merely imitatively, but with his own type of figure and face, and fresh natural impressions, observes with much taste and feeling for beauty the limitations and decorative suggestions in the relations of line-drawing and typography. Many of his designs to "The Midsummer Night's Dream" are delightful both as drawings and as decorative ill.u.s.trations.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHARLES RICKETTS.

FROM "DAPHNIS AND CHLOE." (THE VALE PRESS.)]

The newest book ill.u.s.trator is perhaps Mr. Charles Robinson, whose work appears to be full of invention, though I have not yet had sufficient opportunities of doing it justice. He shows quaint and sometimes weird fancy, a love of fantastic architecture, and is not afraid of outline and large white s.p.a.ces.

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. H. SHANNON.

FROM "DAPHNIS AND CHLOE." (THE VALE PRESS.)]

Mr. R. Spence shows considerable vigour and originality. He distinguished himself first by some pen drawings which won the gold medal at the National Compet.i.tions at South Kensington, in which a romantic feeling and dramatic force was shown in designs of mediaeval battles, expressed in forcible way, consistent with good line and effect in black and white.

His design of the Legend of St. Cuthbert in "The Quarto" is perhaps the most striking thing he has done. I am enabled to print one of his characteristic designs of battles.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AUBREY BEARDSLEY.

FROM THE "MORTE D'ARTHUR." (J. M. DENT AND CO.)]

Mr. A. Jones also distinguished himself about the same time as Mr. Spence in the National Compet.i.tion, and showed some dramatic and romantic feeling. The design given shows a more ornamental side.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AUBREY BEARDSLEY.