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As a child I loved fairy tales and would scrounge the Library in search of those rare tomes filled with stories of dark forests, strange creatures and tragic princesses. Inspired by these stories as well as the beautiful artwork that were often scattered throughout the pages, I drew and dreamt up fantastical worlds.

Among the favorites of my youth was the beautiful faerie artwork of Brian Froud and Alan Lee. These images still evoke the same emotions in me today – but it is the delicate illustration of Victorian artists such as Warwick, Rackham and Nielson that i have been revisiting lately and which were the inspiration for my recent fairytale pillow post.

Warwick Goble (1862 – 1943) was educated and trained at the City of London School and Westminster School of Art. He began exhibiting his work in galleries as early as 1893 but it was not till he was 34 he began a career illustrating books. Goble’s achievements were slow to come but he gained some success with his illustrations in the The Water Babies. He also became well known for his speciality of lavish and beautifully coloured eastern scenes in such books as Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales, Folk Tales of Bengal, and Indian Myth and Legend. See more of his work here.

Edmund Dulac (1882- 1953) born in Toulouse, France began his career studying law before focusing on Art. He later moved to London, and when he was 22, was picked up by British book publisher J.M. Dent who commissioned Dulac to illustrate the collected works of the Bronte sisters. He later gained an association with Leicester Gallery and publishers Hodder & Stoughton who commisioned illustrations for classics such as the Arabian Nights, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Sleeping Beauty, and a collection of Hans-Christian Andersen tales. See more of his works here.

Arthur Rackham (1867 – 1939), one of 12 children, was born in London. He gained an interest in art early on in life and was working as a fultime artist by the age of 25 at the Westminster Budget. The style he became famous for began to emerge in publications of the Zankiwank and the Bleterwitch in 1896 and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grim in 1900 but it wasn`t until his illustrations in Rip Van Winkle (1905) that Rackham became widley known respected. Over the years Rackham illustrated books such as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Alice in Wonderland, The Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, A Midsummer Night`s Dream and many more. He became one of the most well known and celebrated artistis of the “Golden Age” of illustration. To see more of his work click here.

John Bauer (1882 – 1918) was born in Jonkoping, Sweden, the third of four children. The early death of his older sister Anna, at the age of 13, had a profound effect on John and his family. At 16, John went to Stockholm to begin his art Studies. After two years, he was accepted at The Royal Academy of Art where he met his wife, Esther, the model for The Fairy Princess and many of his later illustrations. Together they also studied Art in Germany and Italy. Bauer became celebrated for his illustrative works. He was best known for Lappland, Bland Tomtar och Troll, Great Swedish Fairy Tales and many others. Later in his life Bauer suffered from depression and self-doubts his marriage was falling apart and divorce was discussed. Tragically, on a trip back to Stockholm, the ferry they were travelling on capsized in stormy weather and he and his family drowned. See more of Bauer`s work here.

Charles Robinson (1870 – 1937) was born into a family of illustrators and engravers. Early on Charles apprenticed at a printers where he worked with lothographic stones while taking art lessons in the evenings . For a time, Charles also attended the Royal Academy in London but finances were an issue. Charles began making professional sales when he was 25 his first book being a Child`s Garden of Verses. Other books include Andersen`s Fairy Tales, The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes, The Sensitive Plant and the Happy Prince. See more of his works here.

Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) was born in Denmark and studied art in Paris. Influenced by Swedish fairy tale artist John Bauer and the Art Nouveau movement his illustrations were beautifully stylised and masterfully designed. He produced illustration in books; In Powder and Crinoline, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and East of the Sun and West of the Moon as well as many others. Later on he worked for Disney including projects such as Fantasia. Kay Nielsen did not achieve financial success in his lifetime and died in poverty. For more of Kay`s artwork click here.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Artist Showcase. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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