News from Suez, London Pub' by Edward Ardizonne, ink and watercolour
An official war artist in World War II Ardizonne drew since childhood. His most significant body of work was produced from 1936 onwards – Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain and Tim All Alone featured strongly. The last of this particular series followed in 1977 but his work continued to flourish throughout his adult life until his death in 1979.
Style
 |
| Book Illustration, pen and ink |
Context
World War II, England.
Imagery – what featured most in his drawings and why?
Childhood characters feature strongly reflecting the people in his immediate life, his childhood exploration of the docks with his cousin as a child where he got free reign from the sailors, his home – an apartment in Maida Vale, and the rich characters on the periphery, in parks, shops as well as the lifestyles of family members.
Ardizzone annotated his life with drawings whether sitting eating with family. He'd watch the world from the window of his upstairs studio. His daughter remembers that he'd explain verbal concepts with little drawings and would draw on any and everything. His visual commentary was most often as a silent observer and there seems to be a fondness for books and reading.
Does Ardizzone’s work seem old fashioned?
Lots of visual imagery contains impressions of war like figures in uniform crouching in a city during wartime. These are immediately reminiscent of WWII because of direct pictorial references which are definitely not contemporary depictions of life in England.
So this type of work is easily recognisable within an historic context. So too the social period in wartime and post war England with strength in groups, seen in pictures of women posing together much like Daumier’s gossip mongers, a favourite artist of Ardizonne’s and mine.
Female group support and maternal gathering is strongly reminiscent for me of England where in my experience women in South Africa do not draw on the culture of a sisterhood as much.
Ardizzone's child figures are constantly exploring and adventuring with soft curiosity. There’s a quietness to the children in the drawings, one that is almost reminiscent of the Victorian rule - ‘children should be seen and not heard’.
The figures are usually content to sit and read without diversion or aggression. They lack big mouths and speaking parts unless absolutely necessary such as the villain in The Stig. It’s a wonderful world that celebrates observation and exploration without a sexualised, pseudo intellectual technological society. His drawings speak easily of a time when life was quite different.
What tools and materials were used in the production of his work?
Watercolours, oils, etchings, lithograph, pen and ink and pencil sketches.
_____________________________________________________
Anita Jeram
Why was I attracted to the contemporary work of Anita Jeram?
Anita Jeram’s work conjures scenes from childhood where animals talk and the people are characterful ,uncomplicated and simply rendered . This lends an aura of imaginary fantasy and adventure where anything is possible and it’s loving and joyful. I particularly like to linger over some of her pictures because of the delicate detail and soft balance of line and gentle colour. The pictoral stories are without any sense of consequential negativity and adult drama, leaving one’s mind free to meander down paths of wonderment and imagination without the harsh realities of life. Her animals are personified and loving, a safe world where one can explore the possibilities of the right brain and settle safely into a perfect space. The visuals and the text match perfectly so that when reading to a child, it all makes sense.
Comparative differences between Edward Ardizzone and Anita Jeram
Jeram – pen, ink, watercolour, acrylics: animals, children, magical and fantastical realms. Serenity, security, safety and animal characters are personified to typify love and joy.
Ardizzone – pen, ink, watercolour, lithograph, etchings, oils, pencils: people and situations, urban renderings. Subdued, serene, sometimes secure. Lonely portrayals that convey gentleness and calm. A great appreciation for detail and for the old process of lithography and etching.
Research:
Anita Jeram (13 July 1965 - current )
From Portsmouth, England, attended Portsmouth College of Art in 1983 and the Manchester Polytechnic graduating with a B.A.(hons) in1990.
She's an animal lover and enjoys pet-keeping, arts and crafts, and natural history.
No comments:
Post a Comment