Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-10

mentally the intention OF the llluSt
supplement and enhance the text.
enters. as it were, into partnership
produces give visual expression to-
the thoughts set forth by the written
words. Here is the difference be-
tween the storytelling picture and
the illustration. The one stands
alone, the other is absolutely de-
pendent upon the text as set forth
by another. In other words, one Is
an original conception, the other an
Interpretation.
For example, there are in the
Corcoran Gallery Of Art numerous
storytelling paintings produced dur
ing the last century, such as Pre-
pairing for Church." by Frere; Fun
and Fright" by Chrierci, 1.-The For
ester at Home" by Knaus; The
Schism,' by Vibert, which scarcely
need to be labeled to be under
stood-each is an entity; While IN
the cabinet of American Illustration
in the Library of Congress there are
numerous drawings in wash and
other media which obviously have
story back of them, but, the connec-
ton being lost, no longer signify.
Although they had been made pri-
marily as illustrations of text, the
KEY is gone. AS drawings they are
admirable, in spirit they are line,
but they tell no story.
Attention has been called to this
subject of book illustration by the
summer exhibition in the Pierpont
Morgan Library, which takes us back
to the time of the illumination and
brings us up to that of some of the
best illustrators of the past century,
with original illustrations accom-
panied by original text; reawakened
Interest in illustration manifested by
certain publishers, and with a COM
prehensive review of the entire sub
ject by Frank Weitenkampf of the
New York Public Library, published
lately in book form under the title,
1.-THE Illustrated Book" by the Har-
ward Press.
Value Of Artistic Care.
In the first chapter of this pub
LEGATION the author states that The
Book properly is a physical entity
and it's various parts-typography
illustrations, decorations, ink, end
papers and covers-should form a
harmonious whole.
obviously" says Mr. Weiten-
kampf, the first object of book
is to be read, but if it is worth the
reading it merits artistic care in the
creation of all its parts" This Is
something that a great many people
do not understand hence the lack
of relation of the various parts, a
tendency sometimes to overdress and
at other times to disregard design
and material factors.
The illustrated book, as Mr.. Wei
tenkampf reminds us, is really as
old as the printed book itself; illus
tration beginning, through the me-
dunn of mechanical reproduction,
practically with the first use of
printing. In those earliest days har-
mony between pictures and type was
due to a large extent to the use
on the part of the illustrator of wood
cutting. Later this gave way to
other methods of reproduction-for
example. etching, aquatint, lthogra-
ply, engraving on steel and copper
and, lastly, photoengraving, all OF
which have affected the style and
manner of the artists who gave
themselves to the art of Illustration.
The process of wood cutting used
In the days of Duerer and Gutenberg
had a renalSSanc. in the latter part
of the 18th century before the half
tone process of reproduction came
into vogue, and there are still some
illustrators who cling to line draw
ing, believing it more appropriate
for use in conjunction with type. W..
A. Dwiggins explains this prefer
ence by saying that the line OF the
drawing, like the line of the type,
makes use of the white paper as an
integral part of the composition. 1t
is long and interesting story, but
most notable is the fact that, not
withstanding the difference enforced
by technical variations and limita-
tions, the spirit of illustration has,
from first to last, remained the same;
a spirit OF cooperation, dominated
by art
Different Types.
There Is, it should be remembered,
wide difference between the illus
trated book and the so-called picture
book. In the former the illustrations
amplify the text, in the latter the
text merely accompanies the pictures.
In some instances the text was pure
" explanatory, as for instance in
books setting forth scenery, naval
combats, historical monuments, or
for that matter Ito take an out
standing example), Audubon's Birds
of America" originally published
without text. There have been, fur
thermore, numerous scientific works
published with illustrative plates,
which, while not infrequently well
executed, are outside the pale of Gre
alive illustration. For examples Of
the last sort, the purely creative,
we must turn primarily to the novel,
a source exceptionally rich in the
last two decades of the 10th century,
but of late exceedingly meager.
In this field many of our most dis
tinguished American artists first at
tanned note, but, for the most part,
UllCy WClC PASIUI AooAASA
than book illustrators. For example,
Winslow Homer who was on the staff
of Harper's Weekly during the Civil
War, and was sent to the front to
make pictorial reports of current
happenings, reports" of great artis-
tic merit as well as graphic force. All
of Homer's paintings have subjec-
tive interest, but he tells his own
story, not another's; for this his per-
sonality was too dominant to per-
nit. E. A. Abbey was another gifted
painter-illustrator but he, more than
Homer, excelled as the former. Great
as may be his paintings, it is by his
illustrations of Shakespeare that
he will be longest remembered. Most
handsome are Elihu Vedder's illus
trations for 1.-The Rubaiyat of Omar