Walter Crane

Walter Crane ( born August 15, 1845 in Liverpool, † March 14, 1915 in Horsham, West Sussex ) was an English painter and illustrator and one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Youth and apprenticeship

He was the third child of the portrait painter Thomas Crane ( † 1859). Shortly after his birth the family moved to Torquay in the hope that the milder climate of the health of his father was better beneficial. Crane was taken out of school, as they went to him " on the nerves ." After that, he was taught by his father at home. After his father's death in 1859 they moved to London. 1858 provoked a series of sheets that Crane had drawn for Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott, the attention of William James Linton, a well-known engraver of wood engravings, which had its own printing press. Impressed by the capabilities of the 13 -year-olds, he offered him an apprenticeship in his workshop at the Crane took up in January 1959. The next three years he learned the art of illustration and engraving. The duties assigned to him were often difficult, but also offered him the opportunity to study the works of other artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, John Tenniel and Frederick Sandys and the masters of the Italian Renaissance. Moreover attended drawing classes at the Heatherly 's School of Art

The first successes

After the end of his apprenticeship in 1862 worked as an illustrator for every occasion offering itself, but mainly of religious tracts. His reputation spread gradually and he illustrated series and some books. Linton introduced him to John Richard Wise, whose book was The New Forest Crane provided with drawings. For this work he lived in Wise and was influenced by his progressive political views. Crane now read eagerly, including books by Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Stuart Mill and John Ruskin, who not only shaped his political ideas, but also his attitude towards the craft and the production and design of the merchandise.

Also in 1862 he made ​​the acquaintance of Edmund Evans, a printer, who dealt with the development of color printing. 1864 began working in a series of sixpenny books with nursery rhymes. Although the color was still limited to three colors, succeeded by Cranes drawings, which were well suited with distinct lines for the printing technology, and could be mass-produced with the Publisher George Routledge, to make the children's books to a successful hit. So his name quickly became famous and he made ​​an important contribution with his highly original book illustrations. From his book Baby 's Opera immediately 10,000 copies were sold in the Year 1877, and in 1898 there were already 50,000. He created a total of 37 editions of this Toy Books series over the next 10 years. The series was named because of its handy size for children's hands so. For some illustrations, he wrote his own poems, feast for example in Flora's. A masque of flowers, in which follow the flowers of a festive parade humanizes represented by the seasons, of the first snowdrops and crocuses of spring, on the sunflower to the Christmas rose. Kate Greenaway Children's books followed a different style. However, for Mrs. Molesworth children's books he produced many illustrations.

Cranes first painting was exhibited in 1862 at the Royal Academy: The Lady of Shalott No further images were taken from him. Instead, he exhibited at the Dudley of the Royal Watercolour Society and the Grosvenor Gallery.

In the late 1860s, George Howard Crane and Burne -Jones commissioned for his new house No. 1 Palace Green, Kensington, twelve panels by William Morris 's epic poem ' The Story of Cupid and Psyche ' run.

However Cranes great strength lay in design. His earliest ceramic designs for Wedgwood were in 1867. In 1874, he designed tiles for Maw & Co. and also for Pilkington, wallpapers for Jeffrey & Co. and embroidery for the Royal School of Needlework (Embroidery ).

International reputation

In 1880 he became superintendent for Art ( overseer of Art ) London Decorating Company and began to design Co. both tiles and hollow glass for Maw &. His pattern of damask tablecloths were processed by John Wilson & Sons, London. He designed the mosaic frieze for the Arab Hall in Leighton Lord Kensington home and studio in 1877.

In the fall of 1891, he traveled with his family to America, where a presentation held his works. During his stay in Florida was responsible for Nathaniel Hawthorne; A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls is there, published by Messrs. Houghton and Mifflin, Riverside Press, and later in London by Messrs. Osgood and McIlvaine. In addition, he created black-and- white drawings for a children's book edition of Dante. For Columbia 's Courtship, a short overview of the history of America, he created twelve color drawings, which are then published by Messrs. L. Prang and Co., Boston. For Margaret Delands book Our Old Garden, he also made ​​the illustrations.

After his return he created to pen and ink drawings for Shakespeare Editions of The Tempest in 1894 after The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Merry Wives followed in 1895 by of Windsor. Thomas J. Wise gave in 1895 " Spenser 's Faerie queene " in 6 books from Edmund Spenser with illustrations by Crane newly published, as well as the 1898 " Shepherd's Calender " of Spenser.

1893-1896 were also shown in Europe and well received, especially in Germany, where they met the German Symbolism Cranes work. Many of his pictures were sold here and some are still to be found in German museums, so Neptune's Horses in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich.

On October 16, 1900, the largest exhibition of works Cranes at the National Museum was opened in Budapest and was an extraordinary contribution to the international Arts and Craft Movement

In Vienna exhibitions Crane was represented in both 1900 and 1901. The former was " the international photographic exhibition of the Association of Austrian Artists ( Secession ) in Vienna". In January In 1901, the total exhibition of works Cranes in the "Museum of Arts and Crafts ," which had come from Budapest to Vienna, with over 1000 pieces. The Austrian Ministry of Culture and teaching purchased for the Museum wallpaper on the following: " Kakadu ", "The National " and " Sleeping Beauty". For to be founded modern gallery: "Laura ," the harvest in Utopia " and the watercolor painting" Bar hole ". The Prince of Liechtenstein purchased the following watercolor paintings: " Tabor ", " Rievaul Abbey ", " Malesic Church " and " Roche Abbey ". For the Count Karl Landoronski the watercolor " Sherwood Forest" and Professor von Fritsch was the watercolor " Scottish landscape " purchased. In Germany " Britannia's Vision ", " girls of Athens" and "Amor vincit omnia " were then seen in " Schultes Salon" in Berlin. Also in Venice some of Cranes images were purchased.

1902 Crane was commissioned to direct the British contribution to the International Exhibition of Decorative Art in Turin. For this he was awarded a medal by King Victor Emmanuel, while at home the Turin exhibition was criticized.

Socialist and Arts & Craft

1888 Crane was instrumental in the founding of the "Art and Crafts Exhibition Society ", whose first president was. The goal of the company was the revival of the art by the craft and to draw attention to these " craftsmen ". The founding members of this society also William Morris, Edward Burne -Jones, Lewis F. Day, Heywood Sumner, Philip Webb and Onslow Ford belonged

As rector of the Manchester School of Art from 1893 to 1896, he organized in the main exhibitions in the Salon de Paris in 1878 and received 1898-1900 several awards, so in 1891 a prize at an exhibition in Brussels Salon.

1897-98 Crane was head of the Royal College of Art, but he remained on the board because he was a strong supporter of the government-sponsored art education. He wrote important books on art education, such as The Decorative Illustration of Books (1896) and Line and Form ( 1900). The Central School of Arts & Crafts was opened in 1896 by the Greater London Authority to teach evening classes, the workers in craft occupations and applied arts. She was a little provisionally housed in Regent Street. The line had the sculptor George Frampton and architect William Richard Lethaby, who in 1902 was appointed headmaster. In 1908 the school was in an imposing building in Southampton Row, Holborn, relate.

The prestigious Grosvenor Gallery in London, dedicated to him an exhibition. Among his most famous oil paintings include The fate of Proserpine and The Birth of Venus. Even as a watercolorist, he was appreciated. But he was best known for his illustrations for children's books. Among other things, he illustrated the first edition of the stories The Happy Prince and Other Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde.

Together with William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti Crane was not only one of the most important members of the Arts and Crafts Movement but also its first president. Some saw him as the true father of Art Nouveau.

Family

1871 Crane married Mary Frances Andrews ( 1846-1914 ). your children

• Beatrice * 1873
• Lionel Francis * 1876 ( became an architect )
• Lancelot * 1880 ( became a painter ), 1910, he made ​​drawings in Thebes. Nina de Garis Davies had been a pupil of his father and Lancelot visited the Valley of the Kings. Apparently he was a member of Graphic Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

They lived first in Shepherds Bush, where Crane George Howard met, a well-known watercolor painter and friend of Edward Burne -Jones. Then they moved to the Holland Street, Kensington, a residential area that was preferred by successful artists. Crane was widespread in the Arts and Craft movement velvet jacket with loosely tied silk tie.

Works (selection)

• PG Konody: The Art of Walter Crane - Walter Crane's List of Exhibited Pictures (as of 1902), pp. 130 ff

• The Horses of Neptune (1892, oil on canvas, 85.6 × 215.0 cm)
• The fate of Proserpine
• The Masque of the Four Seasons
• The Fountain of Youth ( The fountain of youth, New Gallery, 1901)

Watercolor

• Harbinger of Spring (1873 )
• Plato's Garden ( 1875)
• Almond trees on the Monte Pincio (Paris, 1878)

Book illustrations

• PG Konody: The Art of Walter Crane - List of Books illustrated or written by Walter Crane (as of 1902), pp. 141 ff
• Aladdin, or: The Wonderful Lamp. George Routledge & Sons, London / New York City in 1875, engraving and printing: Edmund Evans.
• Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Wonder Book For Girls and Boys. With 60 designs by Walter Crane. Houghton Mifflin & Co., Boston, 1893
• Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quijote
• Roger L. Green: The adventures of Robin Hood
• Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queene
• Household stories from the collection of the Bros. Grimm. Translated from the German by Lucy Crane and done into pictures by Walter Crane. MacMillan & Co., London 1920; Brothers Grimm Children 's and Household Tales
• The Absurd ABC. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1874.
• Books by Walter Crane Internet Archive

Books (selection)

• Walter Crane: An Artist 's Reminiscences. Methuen & Co., London 1907; Autobiography; Internet Archive
• Walter Crane: Willam Morris To Whistler. George Bell & Sons, London 1911; Internet Archive
• Walter Crane: Ideals in Art: Papers Theoretical, Practical, Critical. New edition. Adamant Media Corporation, 2001, ISBN 978-1-4021-6677-8
• Walter Crane: line and shape. New edition in German language. Adamant Media Corporation, 2002, ISBN 978-0-543-99700-5.
• Of the decorative illustration of books old and new. Printed at the Chiswick Press by Charles Whittingham. 1st edition 1896, 2nd. 1901, 3rd. 1905th This book had its origin in the course of three ( Cantor ) givenName lectures before the Society of Arts in 1889; Internet Archive
• Books by Walter Crane in the Project Gutenberg