A treatise on wood engravings : historical and practical . o represent KEVIVAL OF WOOD ENGEAVINCx. 495 nature; and, consequently, lie never bestows his pains except to expressa meaning. The manner in which he has represented the feathers inmany of his birds, is as admirable as it is perfectly original. Hisfeeling for his subject, and his knowledge of his art, suggest the bestmeans of effecting his end, and the manner in which he has employedthem entitle him to rank as a wood engraver^without reference to hismerits as a designer—among the very best that have practised the art. Our copy of his c
A treatise on wood engravings : historical and practical . o represent KEVIVAL OF WOOD ENGEAVINCx. 495 nature; and, consequently, lie never bestows his pains except to expressa meaning. The manner in which he has represented the feathers inmany of his birds, is as admirable as it is perfectly original. Hisfeeling for his subject, and his knowledge of his art, suggest the bestmeans of effecting his end, and the manner in which he has employedthem entitle him to rank as a wood engraver^without reference to hismerits as a designer—among the very best that have practised the art. Our copy of his cut of the Partridge, though not equal tothe original, will perhaps to a certain extent serve to exemplify hispractice. Every line that is to be perceived in this bird is the bestthat could have been devised to express the engravers perfect idea of hissubject. The soft downy plumage of the breast is represented bydelicate black lines crossed horizontally by white ones, and in orderthat they may appear comparatively light in the impression, the block has. in this part been lowered. The texture of the skin of the legs, and themarks of the toes, are expressed with the greatest accuracy; and thevaried tints of the plumage of the rump, back, wings, and head, areindicated with no less fidelity.—Such a cut as this Bewick would executein less time than a modern French wood engraver would require to cutthe delicate cross-hatchings necessary, according to French taste, todenote the grey colour of a soldiers great coat. The cut of the Wood-cock, of which that on the next page is a copy,is another instance of the able manner in which Bewick has availedhimself of the capabilities of his art. He has here produced the mostperfect likeness of the bird that ever was engraved, and at the same timegiven to his subject an effect, by the skilful management of light andshade, which it is impossible to obtain by means of copper-plate engrav-ing. Bewick thoroughly understood the advantages of his a
Size: 1974px × 1266px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectwoodengraving, bookye
