Image Credit: Wikipedia
Walter Crane had a relatively short life, but his contribution to art and literature was immense. He was born on August 15, 1845, and he died on March 14, 1915. He was an illustrator who was considered to be among the Golden Age of Illustrators. But beyond that, he was a master designer.
In my opinion, Crane’s best work reflects his use of the principles of Art Nouveau. He wrote books to help other artists understan his design principles that obvious in his work.
The above illustration is much more than a drawing of 2 horses. The way that the horses are arranged and thus, direct the viewer’s eye, reflects Crane’s command of designing the page.
The girl faces one way, and her hand adds emphasis to that direction, and the tree limbs pull the viewer’s eye back toward the figure. Again, the viewer’s eyes are directed all through and around the page. That is masterful design.
Even when you may not realize it, Walter Crane’s best illustrations are well-designed:
In the above illustration, Crane has placed the fiddles so that both they and their boys move the viewer’s eyes. Yet, the sense of design is subtle, and the illustration appears more natural than designed. But especially in his work with flowers, the viewer can detect ways that the image is a design — Crane often bases his designs on curves and repetition
Notice how the bluebells create an arched frame in the above illustration. A similar thing happens in the following illustration.
In the above image, the young man faces one way, but his hand sweeps to the other way and upward. The series of dropping flowers pulls the viewers eye downward.
In the above image, the design runs through and weaves itself into the border of the page.
Crane was also a master of framing and bordering his pages.
A Chronological List of Some of Walter Crane’s Books.
Old Mother Hubbard was Published in 1873
The Three Bears was also Published in 1873
The Frog Prince 1874
Goody Two Shoes 1874
Puss in Boots – 1875
Puss in Boots 1875
The Sleeping Beauty 1876.
Baby’s Opera 1877
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes 1877.
Winter Nosegay, 1881
Household Stories from Grimm 1887
Legends for Lionel 1887
Queen Summer: Or The Tourney Of The Lily And The Rose 1891
Renascance A Book of Verse 1891
Vision of Dante A Story for Little Children 1892
Vision of Dante A Story for Little Children 1892
A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden 1899
A Masque of Days 1901
A Flower Wedding 1905
Flowers from Shakespeare’s Garden 1909
1913 – Illustrations for Mary MacGregor’s Story of Greece.
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