William Mackenzie
  • Gallery
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About Me & Contact

Quentin and the Russians at the House of Illustration. 

6/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

I don’t get to the House of Illustration as often as I used to.  I used to work just round the corner but I managed to get along last weekend.

It is cheap and very good value.  They have a changing exhibition but now they have added to this a room with a permanent exhibition of the work of Quentin Blake.

Quentin Blake’s illustrations resounded through my childhood, mainly illustrating the works of Roald Dahl.  He continues to work so there will be a number of generations for whom he is an important backdrop. 

The exhibition is a small room, the theme currently is illustrations on the theme of magic and it takes you from the 60s to the present day, taking in Roald Dahl on the way (The Witches, an excellent book).  He has a very consistent and recognisable style, which is what you want in a good illustrator.  It is also deceptively simple.

 Have a look next time you see them,  it is simple line drawings filled in with vivid colour, presumably gouache from the intensity but it may be watercolour. The bare paper is used nicely in contrast with grey washes to produce areas of light.

It is interesting though how simple lines, and a slight variations in those lines can imbue such character into figures and their surroundings.  Try copying one for yourself sometime and you will see for yourself.  

The temporary exhibition is at the moment Russian illustrations.  Hats off to the curator on this one.  They have given you the title, artist and medium but in most cases no other information.  If you don’t speak Russian or read the Cyrillic alphabet then this leaves you to try and work out what is going on just from the illustrations.  Those you can, are of course the better ones.

The first room contains children’s illustrations including some very chilling pictures of dolls with overly large heads.  Reminded me of the baby in Spirited Away.  As I went round the exhibition a number of themes struck me.  There was of course a great deal for the communist era and the worker v parasite.

Pride of place was an illustrated version of the 5 year plan with icons of factories and tractors scouring over fields.  The general feel of the style was much more modernist and cubist than I was expecting.  Indeed there was one particular piece which should the struggle of the communist worker by the battle between two coloured shapes. 

I was also interested how many of the illustrations where reminiscent of African art (such as Bab Yaga) and also Chinese art.  The latter is perhaps to be expected given the geographical proximity but it would be interesting to know if the former was conscious adopting of the style, or merely coincidence.

There were also some Yiddish illustrations which seemed to show a strong Indian and Japanese influence.  Again it would be interesting to know if this was coincidence or not.                           

The one that stuck in my mind was called the unknown hero, which was all about a miner working in the mines. Well done then to the curators at the House of Illustration for putting on another good show.  Also now the building works in the area have progressed the landscaping outside the gallery is complete and it now has fine aspect leading down to the canal.  If you haven't been, go.
 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

      Keep in Touch

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Archives

    January 2025
    September 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Gallery
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About Me & Contact