Introduction
Within this essay I will be discussing the influences of two artists, English
cartoonist, illustrator and children's book author Sir Quentin Blake (born
1932), and the American illustrator and children's writer Eric Carle (born
1929). I have picked these two artists as growing up they have both been
personal influences to me and my own illustration practise. I thought
researching and discussing their own respective influences as illustrators
would be an interesting subject matter for this essay. I chose Blake for his
raw illustrative style, fast-pace dynamic drawings and quirky characterisation,
there is a simplicity to Blake's work that captivates children and I want to find out where it came from. I found Eric Carle
interesting growing up for his unique collage process and the importance of colour in his
work that I didn't see in any other illustrator. I will be investigating how these artists found their own styles and
what, and who it was that influenced them into the illustrators they are today.
Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake was born in Sidcup, Kent on 16 December 1932 [1]
into a "nominally middle-class" family and as a child was said to be
"silent, but drew a lot". [2] Blake was educated at
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and whilst still in education as a boy
Blake had started sending in cartoons to Punch
magazine. By 1949 his cartoons had been published twice by Punch. [3] Blake
has recalled in interviews on his schooldays drawing for the school magazine,
and getting called into the Headmasters office for his caricatures but got off
the hook as he had "captured the energy of the man". [4] Between
1951 to 1953 Blake did his National Service . Whilst at Cambridge Art School
Blake had started art-editing issues of Granta
magazine and had declined the offer to draw for Varsity (student newspaper), sticking to his principals believing "Michael
Winner was turning it into something like the Daily Mirror". [5] By 1957 Blake had become a
teacher and working freelance illustrator and from 1965 to 1978 was a Tutor for
Illustration at the Royal College of Art, taking over as Head from 1978 through
to 1986. By now Blake had become well-known for his illustrations and
children's book jackets. He now was designing covers for Punch magazine where
he first had his work published as a boy of sixteen. [6] [7]
Influences:
Quentin Blake started in an interview that he was greatly influenced by French
printmaker, caricaturist and painter Honoré Daumier (born 1808), Blake purchased
a book of his lithographs he was fascinated by and has now got a collection of
his works. Speaking of Daumier, Blake had this to say "He was a hero then,
and his still is now". [8]
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The
Housekeeper, Honoré Daumier
|
The visible influences of Daumier on Blake's illustrations are subtle,
I would say that Daumier acts more as an inspiration to Blake than a stylistic influence. Daumier's
lithographs and caricatures captivated Blake growing up and collecting, and have inspired Blake in his own caricaturing. Daumier caricatures have small stretching of reality, such as the over hooked nose given to The Housekeeper which Blake takes and stretches reality further. There is a sense of realism and referencing to Daumier's work where as Blake's illustrations are very much created from imagination, Blake is quoted to have said "You can either draw someone carrying a suitcase from life or from sketchbooks, or, like me, you can imagine what it feels like. It's like acting and I get to play all the parts" never drawing from life or references but only imagination.
Another one of Blake's influences he has mentioned
was Punch magazine's Ronald Searle
(born 1920) who he met at the age of twenty just before joining the army. Blake
met Searle through a BBC funded programme that ran where "A young hopeful
went to meet a season professional"[8] in the industry, Blake
found Searle impressive as there was only about 10 years between them in age
and he was very fond of his "Wonderful caricatures,
very funny drawings and also satirical drawings". [9] Whilst
meeting Searle, Blake had the opportunity to ask and listen in on a question
and answer session with the artist, Blake said he cared not for the
philosophical questions being asked but was on the edge of his seat to ask
"What pen nibs he [Searle] used" [10], taking an interest
in the tools Searle used to create his illustrations and wishing to use them in
his own practise. Blake was not only influenced in Searle's style but also how
he created his pieces.
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St. Trinnian's, Ronald Searle
|
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Matilda, Quentin Blake
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The
influence of Searle on Quentin Blake's illustrations is much more heavy than
Daumier. Searle has a very scratchy approach in his illustrations, his work is
primarily created in black and white but sometimes does have splashes of colour
added painted in watercolours. Much the same to how Blake works, working
primarily in ink and watercolour, he creates the ostensibly erratic and quick line art to his pieces using
tracing paper to create drafts and light boxes [11] to get a desired
effect of spontaneity that you see in Searle's work.
The schoolgirl Searle has
drawn for the book St Trinnian's can be seen very much as an influence
for the character design of Matilda Blake created for author Roald Dahl.
The way both artists have captured the messiness and texture of each girls hair
is very similar, they have drawn straight lines over and over at different
angles to create the form and shape of hair. Blake fills in the hair with a
wash of watercolour giving it another level of depth, Searle adds more lines to
his illustrations to achieve this. The girls both have exaggerated narrow limbs
disproportionate to the size of their head which all enhance the caricaturing process, the designs of the characters are not quite realistically in proportion for anatomy but visually make up a fun and energetic drawing.
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Beastly Feasts!, Ronald Searle
|
Beastly Feasts! is a strong
example for showing similarities and influence between Searle and Blake. The
childish nature of the book cover design is very similar to Blake's
illustrations, at a first glance of the cover I would immediately think of
Quentin Blake from the bright watercolour characters to the handwritten
typeface used on the book title and crediting. The use of handwritten
typography gives both their work a hand crafted rustic appearance and is
stylised appropriately to the children's books Blake illustrations with the naivety
of a child's handwriting visible on the cover. Blake has taken direct influence
and inspiration from Searle and incorporated it into his own practise as an
illustrator.
Eric
Carle
Eric
Carle was born in New York, 1929. [12] He moved to Germany at the
age of six, where he was educated and graduated from the art school Akademie der bildenden Künste. [13]
During the wartime it was said that the Nazi education system was harsh
but Carle found comfort in art and under the influential teaching of Herr Kraus
was introduced to abstract artists such as Picasso, Paul Klee and Matisse all
of whom were banned under the Nazi regime, "Hitler dictated not only
politics, he also dictated art". Carle was quoted in an interview with Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon recalling his teachers
words "The Nazis, they are charlatans. They haven't an idea what art
is" and was taught by Kraus what art really was. [14] Carle
wished to return to America and by the 1950's had done so, living in New York
once again Carle went on to take up a job as a graphic designer for The New York Times promotional
department. Carle got his foot in the door in children's book illustrations when
author Bill Martin Jr. took an interest in an advertising piece Carle had
created using his collage technique whilst working for The New York Times.
Martin and Carle collaborated together and Carle illustrated his children's story
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
(published 1967). This launched Carle's career as an illustrator and soon he
was writing his own stories and in 1968 Carle had written and illustrated his
first book, 1, 2, 3, To The Zoo.
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| Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Eric Carle |
Carle's work is very distinctive, working using a collage technique of hand-painted tissue paper layered up to create vibrant images creating an effect unattainable through painting. His pieces have a very textural feel to them and he is able to create form in a 2D method of illustration by layering up pieces of paper, creating shadows and overlap between sheets.
Influences:
Eric Carle has credited his influences for his illustrative style to the abstract artists he found solace in as a student during war such as Picasso and Matisse. [15] Pablo Picasso (born 1881) was a Spanish painter, ceramicist and printmaker, and has been acclaimed to be one of the greatest and most influential artists 20th century co-founding both the Cubist movement and collage method (which Carle primarily works in). [16]
Eric Carle has credited his influences for his illustrative style to the abstract artists he found solace in as a student during war such as Picasso and Matisse. [15] Pablo Picasso (born 1881) was a Spanish painter, ceramicist and printmaker, and has been acclaimed to be one of the greatest and most influential artists 20th century co-founding both the Cubist movement and collage method (which Carle primarily works in). [16]
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Weeping Woman, Pablo Picasso
|
Much
like Carle, the importance of colour is very apparent in Picasso's pieces. The
influence of bold, vibrant colours and collaging of different shapes of colour in
order to create an image can be seen in the Weeping Woman Picasso painted in
1937. Picasso has created the image of a woman crying by layering up and
collaging several different abstract colour renditions of what could be a
regular painting. You can see the influence Carle has taken from Picasso in
layering and using shapes, the application of paint to the tissue paper to
create textures and patterns Carle creates can also be seen in the works of
Picasso and other artists of the same movement. Picasso was not afraid of
breaking the boundaries and experimenting with colour, using bold and unnatural
choices in his scenery. The cubist and expressionist movement both influenced
Carle's illustrative style also, opening up boundaries that as a child he was
taught was "degenerate art" [17] not to be appreciated and
inspired him to let loose on his imagination.
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| Les toits de Collioure, Henri Matisse |
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| The Secret Birthday Message, Eric Carle |
Carle has also been said to have claimed French artist, Henri Matisse (born 1869) as one of his direct influences. Matisse was a printmaker and sculptor, but known first and foremost as a painter. Matisse helped to define the revolutionary developments in art history along with artists Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. Matisse was widely known for his use of colour and fluidity, the influence is not hard to find in Eric Carle's work. Not being afraid to add colour to what would otherwise be normal pictures is what I can see Carle has taken from Matisse as influence. In Les toits de Collioure Matisse has taken The Hermitage, St. Petersburg and re-envisioned it in his own colourful interpretation. Similarities between Matisse and Carle for doing this are very clear, both taking every day objects, people and places and transforming them into interesting paintings or illustrations. Carle could quite easily been seen to have taken direct influence and choice of colour from Matisse's Hermitage painting when creating his own abstract building for his novel The Secret Birthday Message which features a pink house, similar to the pinked Hermitage painted by Matisse in 1905.
Another artist to have influenced Carle in his career was German painter, printmaker and key figure of the Expressionist movement, Franz Marc (born 1880). [18]
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| Blue Horse I, Franz Marc |
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| Hello, Red Fox, Eric Carle |
Illustrating children's books and quite often nature and animals we have been given a wide range of strange and unnatural coloured subject matter, from the Green Fox we see in Hello, Red Fox to the Pink House in The Secret Birthday Message by Carle all through the budding influence of Franz Marc who first painted a horse blue. Marc also painted unnatural scenery, giving his landscapes a dreamy and childish quality to them as you can see in Blue Horse I with the purple hills and yellow skies. It could be understood that Carle wished to go beyond what he was not allowed to enjoy as a child under Nazi regime and this has influenced his choice in colour for his illustrations by creating colourful pieces of his own for children to enjoy when he was taught not to himself. The movements that weren't at the time appreciated by society but greatly appreciated by Carle have had an impactful influence on his illustration practise also, Cubism takes shape in the form of his illustrations. Using collaged shapes to create animals, buildings and places can all be linked back to the Cubist movement Carle was fond of as a child, the creation of something unique and interesting and not simply a replication of what we see in front of us. Which in children's book illustration is key as often interpreting imaginary places and creating illustrations of them is needed.
Conclusion:
I've
discovered a great deal about the artists Quentin Blake and Eric Carle through
writing this essay. I thought I knew the artists well beforehand and now have
an even greater understanding of their work and influence. I have learnt that
it was in both artists childhood to young adulthood that they found their
passion and influence, Blake with getting published in Punch magazine at an
early age and meeting with idols of his and Carle with having a passion for
both artists and the artistic movements Nazi Germany hid from him. Both artists have
taken influence from others and used that influence towards creating fun and
interesting illustrations with a childish and friendly manner to their work. Blake's influences come more from approach to drawing, with stylistic influence on his linework and making up a drawing whereas Carle's come more from a discovery of colour and how to make up an image using collage.
References:
- Quentin Blake's Official Website, http://www.quentinblake.com/site-map/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- Online Quentin Blake Biography, http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/quentinblake/biography - retrieved 19/04/2013
- A video interview with Quentin Blake, http://www.webofstories.com/play/16697 - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.webofstories.com/play/16697 - retrieved 19/04/2013
- http://www.webofstories.com/play/16697 - retrieved 19/04/2013
- 'Quentin Blake interview by Me' (2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYeCwqueLpI - retrieved 19/04/2013
- Eric Carle's Official Website, http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html - retrieved 20/04/2013
- http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html - retrieved 20/04/2013
- http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html - retrieved 20/04/2013
- Eric Carle's Colourful World of Children's Books, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11889867 - retrieved 20/04/2013
- http://www.biography.com/people/pablo-picasso-9440021 - retrieved 20/04/2013
- Eric Carle's Official Website, http://www.eric-carle.com/bluehorse.html - retrieved 21/04/2013
- http://www.eric-carle.com/bluehorse.html - retrieved 21/04/2013
- The 'Blue Horse' That Inspired A Children's Book, http://www.npr.org/2011/10/08/141057271/the-blue-horse-that-inspired-a-childrens-book - retrieved 21/04/2013
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