What Do I Know About... ARTHUR RACKHAM

'AUTUMN FAIRIES' (detail) by Arthur Rackham, from 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens' by J.M. Barrie (1906)

'I realised when I embarked on this "What Do I Know About" series about my favourite artists, that many of my choices were of illustrators. That, I believe comes from my love of books as a child — and I was always drawn to the pictures. I suspect that most of us are at a young age. It is the images that speak into the written world that fire the imagination and guide our understanding of the words on the page, and the illustrator has a major rôle to play in our response to the story...

​Throughout my life I have been inspired by illustrators, and some shall feature in this series, and I can think of no better place to start than with the magnificent Arthur Rackham. As an illustrator often featured in books of fairy tales and stories aimed at children it is unsurprising that I encountered him when I was a child. Often called upon to create the 'otherworld' of the supernatural, he could always be relied upon to conjure up arresting and stunning images with sinuous line drawing suggestive of Art Nouveau influences. Of course I did not know that as a child. His compositions were always captivating, and I believe they stand as works of art in their own right, even without the story for which they were originally created.

Rackham’s strong-point was his superb graphic skill using pen and India ink over pencil drawing, then using thin watercolour washes to build up beautiful translucent colour. Rackham was fortunate that developments in colour printing eliminated the need for an engraver to make his artwork ready for printing. He followed in a line of Victorian artists like the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and although some have seen continental influences in his work (e.g. Gustave Dore), even Japanese woodblock art, in my view he remains profoundly British, even when illustrating works by writers like Washington Irving and The Brothers Grimm.

The illustration featured above is a typically fluid and expressive drawing. The movement and exuberance of the dancing fairies is beautifully realised and the wind-blown leaves adds to the verve and excitement of the piece. This and so many other of Arthur Rackham’s illustrations have given me joy over the years. He is a hard act to follow.
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He was born in South London, and worked initially as an insurance clerk at aged 18. My discovery of this fact encouraged me in my artistic career, as I had also became an insurance clerk at the age of 18. In fact, I kept a growing list of famous artists, actors, comedians and writers ‘who used to be in insurance’ as a prop to my ambitions; and while I now 'used to be in insurance', the 'famous' part of my list has somehow eluded me as yet. Not that fame was ever my ambition. Arthur Rackham moved into journalism as an illustrator a mere 7 years after becoming a clerk; it took me nearer 20 years before I was propelled fully into the creative world. He was a major player in the Golden Age of British book illustration, and a great influence on so many fine artists, particularly seen amid the work of modern fantasy illustrators.

Throughout my life I have had cause to thank Arthur Rackham for the imaginative inspiration he gave me. He died in 1939, shortly before his 72nd birthday, and 14 years before I was born, but his influence guides me still.

A small sample of Rackham's illustrations can be seen below (many more can be found online)...

A Love Dove Story by George John Stewart
(expanded version of post originally published in georgestewartartist.com)