Modern Illustration

Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 216K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Modern Illustration by Joseph PennellAuthor: Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926,Language: English, Class: NC: Fine Arts: Drawing, Design, Illustration, Release Date: Jul 24, 2012

Editor's review

This is a discursive work on modern illustration by the renowned British illustrator and printmaker Joseph Pennell, released as a free English-language eBook by Project Gutenberg. Pennell brings both creative and critical experience to the book, which explores the nature, technique and aesthetics of illustration, touching on practical matters such as line, tonal relationships and print reproduction, as well as the tension between illustration and fine art. Its value lies not in cataloguing schools of drawing but in revealing, from a practitioner's perspective, the criteria by which illustration is judged, offering direct insight into the development of European and American illustration from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The writing is polemical and strongly opinionated, never dull. It suits as supplementary reading for courses on illustration history and visual culture, and as casual reading for enthusiasts of printmaking and book design. As a public-domain eBook, the original text is freely available, and reading it alongside the plates is even more rewarding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Illustrators and printmakers who want to learn the techniques and aesthetic standards of early modern illustration
Researchers in visual culture and book design who need primary critical material
Art history students using it as supplementary reading on late nineteenth-century illustration history
Art enthusiasts with good English reading ability who want to expand their professional vocabulary

Not a good fit for

Beginners hoping for a systematic course in illustration technique; this book is criticism rather than a tutorial
Readers who only want picture books and are unwilling to read English-language argument
General readers who need a Chinese translation; the original is a public-domain English eBook

Reading tips

Read through the table of contents and the opening and closing chapters first to grasp the author's central arguments, then return to the passages on technique
Keep pen and paper handy to note the illustrators and works mentioned, and look up the plates separately for comparison
Read alongside other illustration histories of the same period to compare Pennell's judgments with later scholarship

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a tutorial or a critique?

It is closer to a critical work written by a practitioner, discussing aesthetic standards, technical orientations and the state of the profession rather than teaching step by step. Those wanting specific drawing methods should look for a tutorial elsewhere; this book is suited to building judgment.

How difficult is the English, and what background is needed?

The original is late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English prose with long sentences and considerable terminology. It requires university-level English reading ability and some familiarity with basic concepts of illustration and printmaking for smooth reading.

Are there illustrations, and can I just look at the pictures?

The book is primarily textual argument; the presence of illustrations depends on the specific electronic edition, and plate quality in public-domain eBooks varies. Read the text as the main thread and treat images as supplementary; do not expect a picture-book experience.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926 Author

Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was an illustrator and printmaker active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Eleven of his works are held in this collection, spanning art history, book illustration and printmaking technique. He wrote a life of James McNeill Whistler and, with his wife, co-authored travel accounts such as Our Sentimental Journey through France and Italy and A Canterbury Pilgrimage. He also compiled The Illustration of Books and Modern Illustration, systematic discussions of illustrative art, and produced picture series recording the Panama Canal, American wartime work and the "wonder of work." His writing and drawing centre largely on printmaking, illustration and industrial construction, combining reportage with art criticism. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted here.