In the years 1880-1920 they became known all around the world, known as the 'Golden Age of Illustration'. Offering a vast amount of talent and exciting new knowledge and understanding of technology.
Illustrations by Walter Crane during the Golden Age of Illustration
Illustrations by Edmund Dulac during the Golden Age of Illustration
Some of the work above by both illustrators Edmund Dulac and Walter Crane show some of the skills and understanding of illustration and the transformation from black and white to colour in which illustrators became more insistent for magazines and books mainly due to the fact that photography had not yet progressed to colour from black and white.
The Golden Age of Illustration was an era which helped us towards the movement of art, of knowledge, and technology. These few 40 years where the start of something unique, something new. Allowing people's understanding and witnessing of illustrations progress into the world. These particular years were the start of paper producing being cheaper, the population becoming larger and that leads to people becoming wealthier and one of the main aspects is that industrialisation improving.
The Golden Age of Illustration not always had been about colour but in the beginning it had been black and white for example an illustration by the illustrator Kay Nielsen.
Illustrated By Kay Nielsen
Beauty of the Book is a way of what you would describe the art work of this amazing time, offering a view on how techniques and the history were created. Illustrators had the opportunity to work, share their talent especially children book illustrators, this was the beginning of a new era for them; finding a new market, having profit and progressing with their new techniques.
I am particularly intrested in one illustrator, this is William Morris. This is some of his work.
Some work produced by William Morris
When you look at William Morris's work it resembles plants, flowers and his other work which is not shown above resembles birds; his design are creative and complex offering a unique style which offers a vast amount of elegance and poise. William Morris creativeness not only comes in one product, but comes in many more other forms; these include wall paper, furniture, glass, embroidery and murals. He offers a wide range f hand crafted objects. His achievements has given him the title as the most outstanding figure of the arts and craft movement. His work to me is elegant and beautiful to look at, offering a unique style and look on things.
This is a link to Tom Hunters website - http://www.tomhunter.org/info/
This seven minute documentary talks about the photographer Tom Hunter's life work and the influences which he uses in his photography. It gives you an insight to what he was trying to capture; where we fit into society, how we fit in society and where we will be in the future. He goes into detail about his work and how he came to be influenced by his surrounding when on his travels.
His first piece of work he talks about is his series called 'Travellers', he shows a range of photographs which include images of his friends, neighbours, his girlfriend. He also mentions about where his influences when showing his portraiture images, influences such as Pre-Raphelites. His work he wanted to show the colour and beauty that they share and how they breath life back into the derelict places; this shows how nature is reclaiming the places.
These two photographs are from his series called 'Travellers'
These two photographs are from his series called 'Midsummer Night Dreams'
A picture form his series called 'Unheralded Stories'
Tom Hunter is a traditional photographer whose influences come from paintings; paintings form artist, for example Vermeer, Pre-Raphaelites, Rubens, Sebastiano del Piombo. Toms influences come from paintings but his intentions are to show the reality and uncomfortable nature of life in London in todays society. Tom Hunters work is skilled and connects with the viewer, offering the viewer a different perspective on life and how others live. His photographs are his way of telling a story, a story which some people are familiar with and other are not.
Tom Hunters main influences are old paintings; their posture, their body language and their facial expressions. I find his work to be interesting, a narrative which makes you think about why he created it, how he created it and what he wanted to portray.
I particularly like on of his photographs ' Women reading a possession order'.
Painting By Vermeer
' A Girl reading A Letter by an Open window'.
Photography By Tom Hunter
'Women reading a Possession Order'
These two images one a painting and one a photograph are similar and different in their own way. They both show a women stood at a window reading a letter using similar facial expressions, and that they both tell a story. Looking at the photograph by Tom Hunter it tells more of a story that relates to today world, todays society. When reading the title of this photograph, it automatically shows you an insight that this young mother is about to be evicted but there is no father. It automatically give you more questions, a deeper story. How did it come to this, how did she end up where she ended up.
The surrounding that the women is in in this photograph are bleak, showing how people are suffering through the economic and political conditions. Tom Hunter is patient and takes his work very serious setting up every individual detail and planning his every move making sure everything is perfect.
Tom Hunters work is know around the world, especially for his unique way of interpreting something and the creating a different unique story out of it. His work has gained him many awards for example John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award, this award was given to him for the image which is situated above; 'Women Reading A Possession Order'.
Looking at this image i think that it is creative, uniques and reaches out to the viewer, he has focused on all aspects of the original painting and used his skills and knowledge of society to re create a beautiful, touching photograph. He focuses on the context of the image and uses his observational skills to allow him to see from different angles.
Photographer Jeff Wall -
A video from Youtube about Jeff Wall's work.
This 13 minute documentary basically shows you about Jeff Walls work and how he became the photographer he is today. Explaining how he came to like photography and what his influences are.
The previous four photographs belong to Jeff Wall.
Jeff Wall a Canadian photographer who sets up scenes to create his photographs, using all of his techniques and influences to help him in the process. He is know for a lot of his work and some of it has also won him prizes for example, Hasselblad Award 2002 and he has also been made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Jeff Walls work focuses a lot of the larger picture as well as the smaller picture, this allowing him to test his patience and artistic skills. Learning all about the traditional paintings and putting the composition into practice in his layout. Photography can be a tricky projects especially when trying to create something new and uniques but Jeff takes all of his well spent knowledge and puts together something incredible that might take hours or a few weeks to create. Patience is the key factor when it comes to mastering something incredible as Jeff has learnt throughout the years. Jeff Wall photographs focus on day to day lives in the modern day society, offing you a view of what goes on around you which you might see but sometime choose not to see.
I particularly like the photograph 'A View from an Apartment' which is situated below...
Photograph by Jeff Wall
'A View from an Apartment' -2004/2005
A view of what? That is the bigger picture...
Jeff Wall is known for his work which bring together public and private lives. For instance thephotograph above 'A View from an Apartment', this images shows how windows can offer you another view from a different perspective. This image shows two young women relaxing, doing things that they might only do on a day off or at a weekend; surrounded by homely belongings for example magazines, tv, photographs, washing basket. Looking at this photograph i automatically looked at the view from the window as the bigger picture rather than the whole image as one, this is due to it being bright, colourful and for some reason i automatically look at the side which the bigger window is on automatically. The window leading to the outside world shows nature, industrial buildings, Burred Inetlet, Vancouver Harbour; allowing the overall image to be unseen. This photograph represents a narrative; a narrative which shows two young women living in a spacious room offering many different points of life, an intwining of stories.
A women in mid stride doing the house hold choirs where as the other sitting, relaxing reading a magazine. Although this image is set up, it automatically makes you feel like this is a real scene in an ordinary house.
This image when i first saw it i didn't think it was a scene which had been put together to create the photograph, i thought it was a real. Thats what i find incredible about the photographer Jeff Wall, his work is interesting to look at, offering a story, something you have to look for and not get distracted by the bigger picture, as i did when first seeing this photograph.
Bibliography:
- STEPAN, P. (ed) (2005) Icons of Photography: The 20th Century. London. Prestel.
- WALL, J. (Phot) (2009) Jeff Wall: The Complete Edition. Oxford: Phaidon Press.
- WAGSTIFF, S. (2005) Jeff Wall" Photographs 1978-2004. London: Tate Gallery Publications.
- BAETENS, J. (2OO9) Theatres of the Real. Brighton: Photoworks
- CHEVALIER, T. and WIGGINS, C. (2005) Tom Hunter: Living In Hell and Other Stories. London: National Gallery Company.
- MCA (MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AUSTRALIA).http://www.mca.com.au/exhibition/jeff-wall-photographs/. (7/10/2014)
- TOM HUNTER. http://www.tomhunter.org (7/10/2014)
- The European Graduate School. http://www.egs.edu/faculty/jeff-wall/biography/. (1/12/14)
- The R Atkinson Fox Society & the golden age of illustration http://www.rafoxsociety.com/what-was-the-golden-age-of-illustration/ (15/12/2014)
- The Original Morris & Co https://www.william-morris.co.uk/a-full-history/ (18/12/2014)
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