Arthur Rackham is a representative of Art Nouveau in Victorian England. Fabulous illustrations of Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham paintings

Arthur Rackham (Arthur Rackham, 1867-1939) - famous English illustrator. Born in London. In 1888, Rackham's paintings first appeared at an art exhibition. Since 1981, he has collaborated as an illustrator with English newspapers. In 1894 he received his first order to illustrate a book. During his life, Arthur Rackham illustrated many books, but some of the most famous were illustrations for fairy tales. The publication with his drawings was reprinted several times. In addition to the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, he illustrated such books as “The Legends of Ingoldsby” by R. Barham, “Rip Van Winkle” by W. Irving, “Peter Pan in Kensington Garden”, “The Legends of Ingoldsby”, “Alice in Wonderland”. After the publication of the book “Alice in Wonderland” with his drawings, Arthur Rackham received recognition as one of the best illustrators of the “golden age” of English fine art.

After the Brothers Grimm and Alice in Wonderland, the artist’s work became truly famous and in demand. His drawings and paintings were exhibited in the most prestigious galleries in London, and there was simply no end to offers from publishing houses. In addition to large publications with large circulations, Arthur Rackham also illustrated gift editions, which were immediately snapped up by collectors. In addition to the books mentioned above, the artist illustrated A Midsummer Night's Dream by W. Shakespeare, Ondine by F. de la Motte Fouquet, The Ring of the Nibelungs, Aesop's Fables, Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault, “The Tempest” by W. Shakespeare, “English Fairy Tales” by F. Steele, “The Wind in the Willows” by K. Graham and many, many others.

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Albrecht Gunther

Brünnhilde and Gunther

Brunhilda kisses the ring

Magic bowl

Gareth Beumans defeats the green knight

The Rhinemaidens ask for a ring

(1867-1939)

IN an outstanding English artist, one of the most prominent representatives of the “golden age” of book illustration.
Rackham was born in London in the family of a high-ranking Admiralty official. I have been drawing since childhood and at the age of fifteen I was already making quite mature drawings with a pen. The young artist was fascinated by the field of magazine graphics, so his early works were drawings for magazines.
But Rackham’s greatest fame was brought to him by his cycles of color illustrations for works of fiction. In 1900, he created a series of illustrations for the Brothers Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became extremely popular among readers.
Arthur Rackham's illustrations for "Peter Pan in Kensington Garden" and "Alice in Wonderland" brought worldwide fame. His works began to be exhibited in the most prestigious galleries, and the books he illustrated were instantly bought up by bibliophiles. In 1910-1911, Rackham created a large series of illustrations for R. Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” and received a gold medal for them at the international exhibition in Barcelona. In 1914, he was awarded an exhibition at the Louvre.
During his life, the artist illustrated many books: "Rip Van Winkle" by W. Irving, fairy tales by Charles Perrault and H. H. Andersen, "Gulliver's Travels" by J. Sfit, "Legends of King Arthur", "Aesop's Fables", "The Dream Midsummer Night" and "The Tempest" by W. Shakespeare, "Ondine" by F. de la Motte Fouquet, "English Fairy Tales" by F. Steele. His last work was drawings for K. Graham's fairy tale "The Wind in the Willows".

Books with illustrations by the artist

Look what I'll show you today.
So warm and cozy, alive and smelling like a miracle. All these drawings belong to the talented English illustrator Arthur Rackham.

He created illustrations mainly for children's literature, and I think that they conveyed to the reader the idea and content of the works many times more powerfully than modern computer consumer goods from mediocre crooks. Maybe I’m crazy, but I just can’t bring myself to buy a child a book in which for 20 pictures there are only 3 background options and 4 basic character positions. Brrrrr...
I think that Uncle Arthur would not even turn his head towards such books.
If you look at Rackham’s drawings, you won’t see the googly-eyed colors or the meaningless smiles of the characters. But you will long remember these muted tones and graceful twisted lines, which create such fantastic images with a minimum of special effects. Because they truly exude the magic of a fairy tale.

Quarrel between fairies and birds.

Midnight dreams.

Arthur was born in London into a wealthy family of a high-ranking Admiralty official (1867). And, as they say, from childhood I discovered a talent for drawing. Nevertheless, from the age of 18 he worked as a clerk, although he attended the School of Fine Arts in the evenings.
However, when Rackham’s works first appeared at an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1888, it became clear that he would be a much better artist than an “office worker.” This, however, does not mean that Arthur became famous overnight. At first he collaborated with newspapers Westminster Newspaper and Pall Mall Budget, and the first publication he illustrated was a guide to America. The fairy kingdom he created was still a long way off.
Success came only in 1900 with the publication of a collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. Thanks to Rackham's drawings, the book was so popular that it was reprinted several times, constantly updating the design and illustrations. And in 1905, with the release of Rip Van Winkle, the artist finally entered the world of children's literature.

From the series of drawings "Rip Van Winkle".

After There was the story “Peter Pan in Kensington Garden” by James Barrie, illustrated by him, “The Legends of Ingoldsby” with updated drawings and “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll.

It was in Arthur's drawings that Victorian Alice turned into a girl of the Art Nouveau era. But I will tell you about this series later.

Lake Silverstein ("Peter Pan").

Fairies carry Peter away.

Peter's boat.

With the publication of Alice came recognition of Rackham as one of the greatest masters of the “golden age” of English book graphics. The artist’s watercolors were exhibited in the most prestigious London galleries, and publishing houses vied with each other to offer him designs for small-circulation gift editions, which were immediately snapped up by bibliophiles. In 1908, Rackham illustrated A Midsummer Night's Dream by W. Shakespeare, and in 1909, Ondine by F. de la Motte Fouquet and a new edition of Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Coven.

Magic bowl.

Little Red Riding Hood.

Graceful dance.

Cinderella.

King of the Golden River.

Gerda in the castle of the Little Robber.

Dance mood.

By the way, while I was looking for Rackham’s illustrations, I found out that his drawings were also used in the Soviet edition of Gulliver’s Travels. At least that's how they were in my book.

Gulliver in the land of the Guingmas.

And there were also “Legends of King Arthur”, “The Ring of the Nibelungs”, “Tales of Mother Goose”, Aesop’s fables, tales of Charles Perrault... Until the last moment of his life, Arthur drew, drew and painted, as if images and fantastic creatures were cramped in his head In 1939, the master, already bedridden, completed his last work - illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wind in the Willows” by K. Graham. Rackham died a few weeks after he created the last drawing for this book.

From the series "Tales of Mother Goose".

Rescue Guinevere.

Queen Mab.

Like this. I hope you enjoyed it.

I offer you, my dears, illustrations by the English artist Arthur Rackham (Arthur Rackham, 1867-1939) for the book “Ondine” by Friedrich de la Motte Fouquet, published in England in 1909 by the publishing house William Heinemann.

The fairy-tale plot told about the tragic love of an undine for a man - the knight Huldebrand, according to other translations: Hildebrand, Huldebrand, Huldbrand. To receive a human soul, Ondine must marry her lover. But he already has a fiancee. However, Ondine is not going to back down and takes the groom away from her rival right before the wedding. However, their love is not destined to last long. The case ends with the tragic deaths of both lovers.

This story was based on folklore works of European countries - Celtic - from ancient times - French, German, Scandinavian - everywhere there were similar stories about a maiden-spirit of water, dreaming of love with a beautiful hero.

The story aroused considerable interest in the literary community. Translations into other languages have appeared. The translation into Russian was made by Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky in 1837.

Fouquet's plot has been used in other works by other authors; One of the most famous uses is the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" (Den lille Havfrue), written by the great Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in 1837.

As often happens, the work itself, which served as the basis for many others that have long since become classics, turned out to be half-forgotten - and in fact completely forgotten, existing only in the form of mentions in art historical materials. And although Fouquet’s story itself now exists in various translations (including in Russian), it is little known, and even less readable.

10.

11.

But then a new life began for this fabulously romantic work of Friedrich Fouquet - musical and stage. True, moving into stage works, the nuances of the plot changed somewhat: either Ondine herself, of her own free will, became a living girl and lured the noble knight with all sorts of feminine tricks and other tricks, then she appeared as a timid beauty from the waters with the dream of finding an immortal soul, then Elder Waterfall, Ondine’s father , did not find a common language with his disobedient daughter, and she proudly sailed away...

Arthur Rackham is the most famous English illustrator of the “Golden Age”, a representative of the Art Nouveau style. His legacy continues to inspire artists, animators, and directors. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, books with his illustrations won the hearts of readers not only in Great Britain, but also in France, Germany, and the USA.

He illustrated almost all classic children's literature in English. “Alice in Wonderland” with drawings by Rackham was published in 1907 and now ranks second in the number of reprints after the book with canonical illustrations by John Tenniel. He was repeatedly awarded gold medals at world exhibitions. And in 1914, his personal exhibition was held at the Louvre. Without exaggeration, book graphics of the first half of the 20th century can be called the era of Arthur Rackham!

The largest English illustrator was born in 1867 in London into the family of a high-ranking Admiralty official. He received an excellent education at home and graduated from a prestigious art school. From the age of 18, he worked as a clerk while attending night school for the fine arts. In 1888, Rackham's work first appeared at an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1891, he began collaborating with the Westminster Newspaper and Pall Mall Budget newspapers, and in 1894 received his first order for book illustrations for a guide to America. Then began his career as a fruitful and successful illustrator.

Ran - Scandinavian water goddess, giantess, storm deity of the sea

Odin Wodan - traveler

In 1910–1911, Rackham painted a large series of illustrations for Richard Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” and received a gold medal at the international exhibition in Barcelona. After the First World War, two exhibitions in New York brought Rackham orders from American publishers. Working tirelessly, the master illustrated “Fables” by Aesop, “Fairy Tales” by C. Perrault, “The Tempest” by W. Shakespeare, “English Fairy Tales” by F. Steele and many other books, mainly fairy tales for children. Rackham said that “poetic images, fantastic and humorous drawings and books for children play the greatest stimulating and educational role in the years when the child’s imagination is most receptive.”

Brünnhilde says no to Gudrun

Rackham's illustrations for the collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1900, were a great success among readers. The book was reprinted several times, with each new edition coming out in a new design and with new drawings. In 1905, Rackham created a series of drawings for “Rip Van Winkle” by W. Irving, in 1906, at the request of James Barry, he illustrated his story “Peter Pan in Kensington Garden”, and in 1907 “The Legends of Ingoldsby” was published with updated drawings. In the same 1907, publisher William Heinemann commissioned the artist to illustrate “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll. Rackham created a cycle of 13 color and 16 black and white drawings, in which he was the first artist to abandon the “Victorian” image of Alice proposed by Carroll and Tenniel, proposing a new, modern interpretation that corresponds to the worldview of the Art Nouveau era. With the publication of “Alice” came recognition of Rackham as one of the greatest masters of the “golden age” of English book graphics. At this time, the famous Randolph Caldecott, Walter Crane, and Keith Greenway were working. Rackham's illustrations did not compete with them; they were initially distinguished by a bright, original style, which was characterized by dynamism and elasticity of lines, sophistication of color schemes and compositional skill. The artist’s watercolors were exhibited in the most prestigious London galleries, and publishing houses vied with each other to offer him designs for small-circulation gift editions, which were immediately snapped up by bibliophiles.

Arthur Rackham championed the highest purpose of children's books. He thought a lot about the principles of illustration, about the role of the illustrator: “For illustrations to be worthwhile, the artist must feel like a partner, not a servant. An illustration can convey how the artist sees the author's ideas, or his own independent views; but any attempt to turn it into a primitive tool in the hands of the author will inevitably lead to failure. Illustration has as many meanings as literature. What is truly important is only mutual understanding, which would exclude disagreements and contradictions. The illustrator sometimes has to finish what the author should have, but could not clearly express, and sometimes correct his mistakes. Sometimes he needs to add freshness to revive the reader's interest. This partnership is very productive. But the most amazing form of illustration is when the artist manages to convey his own admiration and his own emotions from the corresponding passage of text.”

Rackham was, first and foremost, a brilliant draftsman, favoring the intricately writhing lines of intertwined branches, foaming waves and humanoid trees. In the books, he created a fabulous magical world inhabited by elves and trolls, dragons and goblins. Creating enchanting fairy-tale illustrations populated by fantastic characters, Rackham was faithful to the truth of life. He had an excellent visual memory; all his magical landscapes were based on real pictures: the hills and valleys of his beloved England, and ordinary children served as models for fairy-tale heroes - not only fairies, elves and goblins, but also moles, frogs, rabbits, etc. . The artist’s daughter recalled how many times she posed for her father. He asked his daughter to take some intricate pose, the girl patiently completed the task, but it was not she who was depicted on the paper, but some animal or fairy-tale character.

Readers and critics gave the artist credit for the fact that his illustrations preserved and amazingly transformed the fragile world of fairy tales and legends. In retrospect, the calm and light humor of his drawings becomes obvious. They seem to be imbued with a gentle joy, which was intended to calm both children and their parents. The scary imagery in his drawings is not threatening, but conveys a thrill and beauty that is in no way overtly sexual or obscene. Rackham's technique was ideal for Victorian times, he found his niche, and seemed to take enthusiastic pleasure from it.

Rackham's illustrations always retained a joy and a sense of wonder and admiration for life. From the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 until the outbreak of the First World War, Rackham's illustrations maintained visual beauty and sensitivity, keeping a distance from public fears about the future. His beautiful, delicate designs were the antithesis of the very industrial advances that allowed them to be printed at affordable prices. Even during the troubled twenties and thirties, his art was a constant reminder of the purity and innocence that society had left behind. The world was changing rapidly, becoming more and more rational, looking to the future. Rackham, while remaining a romantic, again and again called on readers to look back, remember, maintain faith in miracles, and feel the precious significance of the unreal world of fairies and elves, the world of children's fantasy.

An exponent of the Art Nouveau style, Rackham acknowledged the influence of illustrators such as George Cruikshank and Aubrey Beardsley. In turn, his influence can be felt in Disney's early animated films, in films by Tim Burton (who used Rackham's former apartment as his London office) and Guillermo del Toro (who says he was inspired by Rackham's drawings for Pan's Labyrinth).

In 1939, the artist, already bedridden, completed his last work - illustrations for Kenneth Grahame's fairy tale “The Wind in the Willows”. Rackham died a few weeks after he created the last illustration for this book.