. John Pettie, , ; . e, which to the end remained characteristic ofthe man. In volume iv., 1863, an illustration toThe Monks and the Heathen, by Charles Kingsley,tells how Sturmi took him a trusty ass, and, axein hand, rode away into the wild woods, singinghis psalms. There is something very fresh andattractive in this drawing, particularly in its uncon-ventional arrangement. Pettie himself must haveliked it, for some years later, in 1868, he paintedthe subject on a much larger scale, making slightalterations in the monks head, the position of theaxe, and other details. In the same
. John Pettie, , ; . e, which to the end remained characteristic ofthe man. In volume iv., 1863, an illustration toThe Monks and the Heathen, by Charles Kingsley,tells how Sturmi took him a trusty ass, and, axein hand, rode away into the wild woods, singinghis psalms. There is something very fresh andattractive in this drawing, particularly in its uncon-ventional arrangement. Pettie himself must haveliked it, for some years later, in 1868, he paintedthe subject on a much larger scale, making slightalterations in the monks head, the position of theaxe, and other details. In the same volume a storycalled The Passion Flowers of Life inspired a finestudy of an old man, probably drawn from theartists father, seated in a creeper-clad porch, witha child on his knees. An illustration to A Touchof Nature pictures how the Harlequin Boy usuallykept at a slight distance from the procession, andis again charming in its sense of selection and its THE MONK STURMI IN SEARCH OF A MONASTERY SITE(She of original, 21 x SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 51 subtle power of line. It reaches a concentratedeffect by balance of mass and a few simple notes—you see here, as it were, the skeleton of one of hispictures. Three other drawings of 1863, thoughall good in their way, call for no special comment;nor does particular interest attach to the singletail-piece contributed to the volume for Gleeson White, not a warm admirer of Pettiespaintings, says of these illustrations in his standardwork on English Illustration: the Sixties, that toa later generation, who only know the pictures ofthe Royal Academician, these come as a surprise,and prove the versatility of an artist whose paintingwas somewhat mannered. In 1864 Pettie practically abandoned book-illustration in order to give all his energies to is characteristic of him, and proof of his readinessto appreciate others work, that in reply to hispublishers appeals he should have said, Lookhere, Strahan, yo
Size: 1385px × 1803px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondonaandcblack
