Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham was an English illustrator who lived from 1867 to 1939. Rackham was one of the artists who was extremely popular during the ‘Golden Age of Illustration’. Fantasy and fairy tale illustrations were popular and in style during the early twentieth century, only declining in demand with the onset of the Great War (World War I).
A prolific artist even from an early age, there are stories of Rackham as a child sneaking pencils into bed to draw on his pillow. At the age of 18, he had his first illustration published and at 25 he quit his job as a clerk to pursue art full-time. He was known for his black and white illustrations.
Rackham made the transition from black and white illustrator to color plate illustrator in the 1905 publication of Washington Irving’s, Rip Van Winkle, for which he made 51 watercolor and ink illustrations.
Rackham’s technique was simple, but effective. He first sketched out his illustration in pencil, slowly filling in the details, then he inked everything in, erased the pencil markings, and added layers of watercolor washes until he got the depth of the color he was looking for. Rackham married Edyth Starkie, a fellow artist, who was his most severe critic, and he trusted her opinion above all others. In 1939, he died at 71 years of age from cancer.
Rackham’s works were influential many great artists, including both C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. His work is still recognizable today.
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