Walter Crane was undoubtedly one of the most influential artists in last two centuries. He was not only a painter and illustrator of numerous books and magazines, he also designed tiles, wallpapers, pottery, was one of the founding members of Arts and Crafts movement which revolutionized attitude towards art, a tutor, a lecturer, a writer, an educator and a devoted socialist who among other things set one of the most important milestones in the history of picture books.
(intro image: portrait of Walter Crane by George Frederic Watts, all used images are in public domain)
What an art of Walter Crane means to you?
I agree with you, WriterArtist, old works posses special charm. I think we can all find our personal reasons why is that, but the fact is, great stuff never completely falls out of favor:) Walter Crane definitely belongs in this category!
How different and artistic Walter Crane's art is from the modern art which I never had the patience to understand and appreciate - I love these colorful illustrations. Somehow; I find more beauty in the old paintings and story books. Don't we still enjoy Snow White and Cinderella. I have to say that I am mesmerized with old.
Thanks, Mira, Walter Crane is not my favorite illustrator, but I admire his dedication and especially his philosophy which actually created whole new media - high quality picture books. While we'll always find products with some kind of short-cuts, there will always be publishers who''ll look at standard which were set by him.
I enjoyed this. I think I've seen his illustrations at the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz. Nice read!
Thanks for your visit, burntchestnut. I learned a lot about history, geography and economy by reading old story books and exploring the stories from their backstage. It can be pretty amusing experience.
The pleasure was all mine, Thamisgith:)
His map of the British Empire is impressive! Some of his artwork you show seems familiar, so I'm sure I've seen it before but never knew who the artist was. I like to look through old books and now I'll pay attention to who drew the illustrations.
Thanks for a very interesting read!