DOI Heft:
Nr. 107 (January, 1906)
DOI Artikel:Wood, T. Martin: The posters, paintings, and illustrations of John Hassall, R. I.
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26961#0282
John Hassall
We miss perhaps partly on this account the
charm of subtlety; his work is so very straight-
forward in execution and in intention so direct.
His recurrence to the same types of face has often
been noted. For decorative purposes he has
created a valuable type, but if in painting he
should display too much constancy to this
favourite it might in time come to be to him a
limitation, as it has marked limitation in many
other painters. As an illustrator, Mr. Hassall
has made many spirited decorations for
book-covers, illustrative of the contents of the
books. And amongst other things he illustrated
Mr. Walter Emanuel’s
fascinatingly humorous
book on babies. Some
pen-studies for these illus-
trations we herewith give ;
they show a dainty pre-
cision with the pen, the
more remarkable being
found in conjunction with
the ability for large poster
work. They indicate the
source of his success by
theamountof sound know-
ledge and careful study
of truth they display.
It is when we come to
look at Mr. Hassall’s work
as awhole and find the ver-
satility of his gifts that we
arrive at some true idea
of his place amongst his
contemporaries. The air
of apparent ease with
which his various forms of
work seems carried out,
indicate to us an unusually
resourceful talent. With
every fresh Commission it
is as if he turned his
talent to the subject with
that certainty that only
accompanies a high degree
of mastery. There is no
sign of pumping up an in-
vention, or of an inven-
tiveness likely to suffer
from exhaustion.
It is interesting to spend
some time studying the
various methods of procur-
ing pleasant effects which
204
the artist applies to different drawings. The land-
scape called Bank, New Forest, reproduced as a
coloured Supplement with this article, is a good
instance. Every artist who has studied posters
is familiär with the device, employed so frequently
by Mucha, of surrounding dark masses with a
line where they come against a light ground.
An interesting application of this is seen in the
plants in the foreground. The line in no case
follows the leaf into shadow; the lights showing
through the leaves thus appear outlined. By
intensifying the light spaces in this way, this
device procures such a truthful appearance that it
‘THE CITY: GENERAL CHEERFULNESS ”
BY JOHN HASSALL
We miss perhaps partly on this account the
charm of subtlety; his work is so very straight-
forward in execution and in intention so direct.
His recurrence to the same types of face has often
been noted. For decorative purposes he has
created a valuable type, but if in painting he
should display too much constancy to this
favourite it might in time come to be to him a
limitation, as it has marked limitation in many
other painters. As an illustrator, Mr. Hassall
has made many spirited decorations for
book-covers, illustrative of the contents of the
books. And amongst other things he illustrated
Mr. Walter Emanuel’s
fascinatingly humorous
book on babies. Some
pen-studies for these illus-
trations we herewith give ;
they show a dainty pre-
cision with the pen, the
more remarkable being
found in conjunction with
the ability for large poster
work. They indicate the
source of his success by
theamountof sound know-
ledge and careful study
of truth they display.
It is when we come to
look at Mr. Hassall’s work
as awhole and find the ver-
satility of his gifts that we
arrive at some true idea
of his place amongst his
contemporaries. The air
of apparent ease with
which his various forms of
work seems carried out,
indicate to us an unusually
resourceful talent. With
every fresh Commission it
is as if he turned his
talent to the subject with
that certainty that only
accompanies a high degree
of mastery. There is no
sign of pumping up an in-
vention, or of an inven-
tiveness likely to suffer
from exhaustion.
It is interesting to spend
some time studying the
various methods of procur-
ing pleasant effects which
204
the artist applies to different drawings. The land-
scape called Bank, New Forest, reproduced as a
coloured Supplement with this article, is a good
instance. Every artist who has studied posters
is familiär with the device, employed so frequently
by Mucha, of surrounding dark masses with a
line where they come against a light ground.
An interesting application of this is seen in the
plants in the foreground. The line in no case
follows the leaf into shadow; the lights showing
through the leaves thus appear outlined. By
intensifying the light spaces in this way, this
device procures such a truthful appearance that it
‘THE CITY: GENERAL CHEERFULNESS ”
BY JOHN HASSALL