News and Reviews
A round-up of interesting new and forthcoming exhibitions for all tastes, along with information on events and short book-reviews.

Craxton’s Cats
The world is supposedly divided into cat and dog lovers. The celebrated neo-Romantic artist John Craxton was unquestionably a cat lover, recording his fascination for the domestic mog in numerous images of felines at play, hunting, sleeping, or doing nothing at all. A new book presents his visual cattery; it’s reviewed by the Editor.

Peter Sís
Peter Sís, a Czech-born American, is a writer and illustrator of children’s books whose intense, dreamlike images reflect on issues of childhood experience,  exploration and discovery, taking us into a magical world of the imagination where reality unravels and new realities emerge. Professor Catherine Golden explores Sís’s work in detail, basing her account on an extended interview with the artist.

Posters for 1984
Orwell’s 1984 is a deeply pessimistic reflection on the future that might have been. The world of political oppression, of Newspeak, the Unperson and Room 101, is vividly imagined in a series of illustrations cum posters in a new edition published by James Freemantle. James explains the making of this fascinating, impressive book in detail.

Charles Bertall
Bertall was a French nineteenth century artist with a keen eye for contemporary social mores; as Brian McAvera notes, he was “a born commentator” who bore witness to the vices of his time. Continuing his series on French graphic artists, Brian reflects on the life and art of this hard-hitting but little-known observer.

Lynk Collective and Old Masters
Self-portraits have long been a staple of Art History – with some of the most celebrated artists creating vivid images of their own faces. All such images are subject to revision, and printmakers of Lynk Collective have created vivid and intensely beautiful re-imaginings of portraits by van Gogh and Leonardo, with a special focus on the work of the controversial Italian Master, Artemisia Gentileschi. The Collective’s endeavours are explored in an essay by one its members.

George Pinwell
Pinwell was one of the Victorian “Idyllic School” – an illustrator of rural life who focuses on the small dramas of ordinary rustic folk in striking images of suffering and introspection. By turns beautiful and troubling, Pinwell’s designs add another dimension to our understanding of the past. Paul Goldman examines the achievements of this poetic and underrated artist.

Leslie Brooke
The art of Leslie Brooke is never less than a joyous celebration of youthful vitality and humour which veers between the understated and the surreally excessive and strange. Warren Clements considers Brooke’s bestiary of dancing dinosaurs, a giraffe lighting the gas-lights, an irascible elephant and penguins taking a shower; the Dong with the Luminous Nose is there too.

Richard Dadd
Richard Dadd gained notoriety as a patricide and as the painter of weird fairy paintings, but he was an effective illustrator as well, producing haunting images for The Book of British Ballads. The Editor traces his work in black and white, showing how Dadd’s “little people” figure on the printed page as well as the canvas.

Promising New Talent: Maria Greynis
Maria Greynis recently entered the Cheltenham Illustration Awards and was selected by the Editor as a most promising talent. Maria explains her “illustrations for kids,” her influences and inspirations, and the challenges of working as an illustrator while presenting a portfolio of some of her most entrancing designs.

Resources
Look and Learn
A run-down on the latest exhibitions along with details of important resources to facilitate study of illustration and graphic art.