English Wood-Engraving 1900-1950

by Thomas Balston

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Pub Date Dec 16 2015 | Archive Date Mar 03 2016

Description

At the turn of the twentieth century the art of wood-engraving enjoyed a flourishing revival among English artists. These works were so fundamentally different from their predecessors, in both design and technique, that they formed a new branch of the art. This volume showcases five decades' worth of magnificent wood engravings in a series of finely wrought black-and-white and color images, selected from a wide array of sources that includes lesser-known works from temporary exhibitions and limited editions.
An informative history of the art precedes the illustrations, tracing the development of wood-engraving from the art form's earliest days through its decline and resurgence of popularity. A chronological presentation of striking, intricately detailed images follows, featuring the works of such noted artists as Eric Gill, Iain Macnab, Eric Ravilious, John Nash, and Clare Leighton, in addition to scores of others. Ranging from vignettes of animals and rural life to street scenes, portraits, and episodes from literature, this survey offers a magnificent overview of the vibrant era in the art of wood-engraving.

Available Editions

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9780486798783
PRICE	$12.95 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 3 members

Featured Reviews

Leyla J, Reviewer

For anyone that is interested in wood - engraving this is a wonderful book. Filled with images of the artist of the time - the fifty years to 1950. They are a pure delight and I found myself studying images and marvelling at the workmanship and hours spent in producing such wonderful works. There are images from Pissarro, Paul Nash, Edward Wadsworth, Tunnicliff (also on the cover) and Robert Gibbings - there are more of course, but these I loved. A great book to get your creative juices going.

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Wayne M, Reviewer

'English Wood-Engraving 1900-1950' by Thomas Balston is a history and sampling of wood engravings from the early twentieth century.

The book tells the history of wood engraving, and talks about how it is different than woodcut drawings. Woodcuts are quite a bit older, wood engraving came into fashion with the invention of the moveable type and the need for finer illustration styles. Early illustrations were used in books and the style picked up when photographic techniques of the time failed to give fine reproductions of certain artists drawings. The history continues through the war years and beyond. Then it's on to some samples of the work, and they are glorious. There are nature prints and abstracts and boats. Works for books and plays and natural histories. They are detailed and worth the small price of the book.

It's a short little work and I quite enjoyed it as a break from my normal reading. It's a reprint from 1951 and I thank Dover for reprinting.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine ebook.

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Critter B, Librarian

English Wood-Engraving 1900-1950 is a wonderful look at the many styles of wood engraving from the time period 1900-1950. The illustrations are sublime, and there is a lot of variation both in theme, execution and style. I really enjoyed looking at the engravings, and the text was interesting and very readable. The only downside was how short the book was - I could look at wood engravings all day.