William Heath Robinson - Artist and Comic Genius
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This beautiful book will come as something of a shock to those who know Heath Robinson only for his comic "gadget" drawings. Originally published to accompany an exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery, it clearly displays Heath Robinson's accomplishments and versatility as a serious artist and illustrator. Whether depicting the bawdy nightmares of Rabelais, the romance of Hans Andersen's tales or the magic of A Midsummer Night's Dream, he comes up with a novel and appropriate style for each set of illustrations. The book tells the story of this modest but inventive artist, from his training at the Royal Academy Schools, through his early forays into the world of Black and White illustration. The bankruptcy of one of his early publishers forced him into the world of cartooning for up-market weekly magazines, and he had parallel careers as illustrator and humorous artist until the slump in the book trade in the early 1920s killed the market for illustration. He went on to be crowned as the Gadget King and his name entered the language. At his death in 1944 he was mainly known for his humorous work, but like artists such as Hogarth and Rowlandson before him, the secret of his appeal lay in his great abilities as a serious artist Throughout his life he painted in watercolour for his own pleasure, and a number of outstanding examples of this work are reproduced. The book is beautifully produced on high quality paper, with well-printed, large-scale illustrations, many of which are published here for the first time.
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