DOI Heft:
No. 40 (July, 1896)
DOI Artikel:Bulloch, J. M.: Charles Dana Gibson
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17297#0095
Charles Dana Gibson
monopolises Mr. Gibson's humorous and senti- Thus his artistic expression lias to be elaborated;
mental outlook ; and his humour, his point of and yet how wonderful are his faces. The merest
view, is really almost as characteristic as his tech- outline is made to express anger, sorrow, gaiety,
nique, despair. Think how a graver would ruin that line,
His technique, of course, is admirable. He coarsen it, take all the life out of it. But for pro-
works in three media—pen, chalk, and brush-work, cess, in short, Mr. Gibson would not be Mr. Gibson.
The first two show him at his best. His brush- Few living artists can use chalk to such advantage
work is confused, lacks distinction, and does not as he. He understands, as few others do, values,
seem to lend itself readily to reproduction by the light and shade to be got out of chalk, and in
process. On the other hand, his pen-and-ink reproduction his work in chalk retains its best
and his chalk work come out admirably. Mr. features.
Gibson, indeed, owes an enormous deal to process. That he has mannerisms it is almost needless to
He has said that wood engraving for journalistic say. His American girl, for instance, tends to be
purposes takes us back to the dark ages of art. stereotyped in an unmistakable way. Yet that is
Certain it is, wood engraving would in nine mainly when he draws us one of his purely imaginary
cases out of ten spoil his delicate art, just as it pictures. When he comes to reproduce living
would ruin Phil May's. The two men have much scenes he becomes, not photographic, but true to
in common. The most striking feature in the the general type of the woman he illustrates, for his
technique of both is the extraordinary inclusiveness power of selection, as with all true artists, is very
of their line. The two artists, dealing with the marked. One was specially struck with that in the
extreme limits of the social scale, have graduated pictures of Parisian life, which he contributed to
their outline to suit the subject. Mr. May is the Harpers Magazine a year or two ago. He caught
Hogarth of costerdom — a world of primitive the atmosphere of the boulevard cafe, with its re-
emotions, of more primitive dress, and of primeval markable habitues, in a very wonderful way. Every
physiognomy. Mr. Gibson is the caricaturist of picture was instinct with light and laughter, though
Society, of the Four Hundred in America, of he did not forget to indicate the sordid side of this
Belgravia with ourselves. His women are more strange mode of existence.
subtle, their environment is more complicated, the Mr. Gibson's genius indeed is many-sided, and
range of their emotions is wider and more complex, his success in so manydirections—in sketching from
AT THE THEATRE" FROM A DRAWING BY C. DANA GIBSON
(By permission of James Henderson, Esq.)
80
monopolises Mr. Gibson's humorous and senti- Thus his artistic expression lias to be elaborated;
mental outlook ; and his humour, his point of and yet how wonderful are his faces. The merest
view, is really almost as characteristic as his tech- outline is made to express anger, sorrow, gaiety,
nique, despair. Think how a graver would ruin that line,
His technique, of course, is admirable. He coarsen it, take all the life out of it. But for pro-
works in three media—pen, chalk, and brush-work, cess, in short, Mr. Gibson would not be Mr. Gibson.
The first two show him at his best. His brush- Few living artists can use chalk to such advantage
work is confused, lacks distinction, and does not as he. He understands, as few others do, values,
seem to lend itself readily to reproduction by the light and shade to be got out of chalk, and in
process. On the other hand, his pen-and-ink reproduction his work in chalk retains its best
and his chalk work come out admirably. Mr. features.
Gibson, indeed, owes an enormous deal to process. That he has mannerisms it is almost needless to
He has said that wood engraving for journalistic say. His American girl, for instance, tends to be
purposes takes us back to the dark ages of art. stereotyped in an unmistakable way. Yet that is
Certain it is, wood engraving would in nine mainly when he draws us one of his purely imaginary
cases out of ten spoil his delicate art, just as it pictures. When he comes to reproduce living
would ruin Phil May's. The two men have much scenes he becomes, not photographic, but true to
in common. The most striking feature in the the general type of the woman he illustrates, for his
technique of both is the extraordinary inclusiveness power of selection, as with all true artists, is very
of their line. The two artists, dealing with the marked. One was specially struck with that in the
extreme limits of the social scale, have graduated pictures of Parisian life, which he contributed to
their outline to suit the subject. Mr. May is the Harpers Magazine a year or two ago. He caught
Hogarth of costerdom — a world of primitive the atmosphere of the boulevard cafe, with its re-
emotions, of more primitive dress, and of primeval markable habitues, in a very wonderful way. Every
physiognomy. Mr. Gibson is the caricaturist of picture was instinct with light and laughter, though
Society, of the Four Hundred in America, of he did not forget to indicate the sordid side of this
Belgravia with ourselves. His women are more strange mode of existence.
subtle, their environment is more complicated, the Mr. Gibson's genius indeed is many-sided, and
range of their emotions is wider and more complex, his success in so manydirections—in sketching from
AT THE THEATRE" FROM A DRAWING BY C. DANA GIBSON
(By permission of James Henderson, Esq.)
80