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Fiorella

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Antonio Rubino's illustrations for his book Fiorella (Milan: Editrice Boschi, late 1950s) These images come from the large Italian database indire.it. I have some more posts in the works from this archive (which is not the easiest to navigate). See all 50 Watts posts on the Italian illustrator Antonio Rubino (1880–1964). See all posts on Rubino See all posts tagged "Italy" This post first appeared on April 3, 2014 on 50 Watts

The Thing from Denmark

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20 Movie Posters from Denmark, circa 1926–64 Swing Time (1936) signed: Erik F. I've done three features on vintage Swedish movie posters, but this is my first (and probably last) feature on Danish posters. Kurt Wenzel and Erik Frederiksen ("Erik F.") seem to be the big names in poster design in Denmark. The reproductions are from expired auction listings at ha.com. Heritage doesn't have many to choose from (unlike the Swedish posters), and almost all of them are stamped by the Danish censor board, which makes me think they come from a single collection. Greed (1926)Kiss of Death (1947)Last Warning (1929)The Thing from Another World (1951)The War of the Worlds (1954) signed: WenzelKing Kong (poster, 1948) signed: BoyeThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)Pearls of the Crown (1937) signed: Rodian T.Dark Victory (1939)Leave Her to Heaven (1948) signed: WillySuspicion (1948) Looks like Wenzel againThe 39 Steps (1960) signed: WenzelThe Puritan (Early 1940s) signed: Ruthwenn EriksenChamber of Horrors (1947) signed: Erik F.The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)The Gay Divorcee (1934) signed: Erik F.Maciste in Hell (1927) signed: Wenzel I would have guessed a much later date for this posterThe Night of the Hunter (1955) signed: WenzelSunset Boulevard (1951) signed: ByS? This post first appeared on April 7, 2014 on 50 Watts

Richard Teschner and His Puppets

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Though I've featured many illustrations and prints by Richard Teschner, until now I hadn't found nice-sized images of his legendary puppets. Enjoy.Richard Teschner with his puppets, 1914 Most of the photos in this post are copyright of the Theater Museum in Vienna, which is holding a large exhibit on Teschner through April 21, 2014. Repeating from an earlier post:Richard Teschner (1879, Bohemia—1948, Vienna) made prints and illustrated books in turn-of-the-century Prague, hanging out with writers like Meyrink and Paul Leppin and exhibiting with Hugo Steiner-Prag. He finally settled in Vienna and devoted himself to the puppet theater. Brittanica says he "developed the artistic potentialities of the Javanese rod puppet for western puppet theatre." I'll keep digging! (For instance, someone needs to comb through this archive of his puppets.) [update: some photos of Teschner's puppets here.] The Princess, from "Prinzessin und Wassermann," 1913 From the Theater Museum: "In techniques for rod-puppets, Richard Teschner (1879–1948) set new standards. Teschner, one of the most notable representatives of Viennese art nouveau, was a man of exceptionally diverse gifts: he was a painter, graphic designer, sculptor, puppeteer and much more. With his revolutionary theatre of figures, he created an integrated theatrical work of art encompassing everything from puppets to plays, stagecraft and incidental music. Using the Javanese rod-puppets as his model, he developed a new, expressive puppet variety for his pantomimic plays. Overcoming the traditional proscenium stage led to the unique round of the Figure Mirror, which gave rise to images of great beauty and suggestive effect." "Zipizip," 1913 You might recognize this creature from my post Teschner's Musket"Fur devil," 1913 via the Münchner Stadtmuseum "Nachtstück," 1913 1913 via digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de1913 via digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de1913 via digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de"Basilisk" from Der Basilisk, 1937Dragon, 1928"Der Graue, Hörnchen aus Nachtstück" from Karneval, 1913 "Der Gelbe aus Nachtstück" from Karneval, 1913 "Der Rote aus Nachtstück" from Karneval, 1913 "Bologneser Hündchen" from Karneval, 1929 Wassermann from "Prinzessin und Wassermann," 1913another ZipizipI think this is a frame from a movie version of Karneval"Die Lebens-Uhr," 1935"Künstlerlegende", 1928 Teschner in his workshop, 1941exhibit poster Previously: Etchings of a Puppeteer Master of Puppet Masters Teschner's Musket This post first appeared on April 8, 2014 on 50 Watts

Came to Call Mine

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Selections from Graham Lambkin's new book Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Seed Structure" The duck has no luck on the pumpkin seed lawn The squash isn't washed so it can't be absorbed The fox draws a cross in the soil where he knows the seed should be sewn so it merrily grows From the publisher: "Came to Call Mine is a deluxe new art book by visionary musician artist and writer Graham Lambkin. Playing out like a children's book for adults 'Came to Call Mine' features 50 all new colour illustrations coupled with corresponding texts. Over a year in the making these works are intrinsically detailed forays on the pencil-to-paper, mind-to-hand alliance. With only residual traces of human activity we explore a world of noxious environments; a nuclear windstorm singalong of joyous mutations rollicking in the fairytale of survival. Exploding on the eye and ravaging the mind Came to Call Mine is a lavish large scale litho-print softcover book executed on high quality stock which stands as the most exhaustive collection of Lambkin's artistic aesthetic to date." To order, email quockenzocker [at] gmail [dot] com. Graham Lambkin is also an amazing musician and runs the record label Kye. from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Nice Day At The Beach" Remember the paper of rabbit tusk teeth? Or the jam in the sandwich that dropped to your feet Remember Jenny and Mum on their towel by the wall? As the bear claw extended to slaughter them all. from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Falling Under A Joke" The happy house is not opening today so we fall upon the pigs that gather in the road The wet quest has not ended today so it's back to the oyster house we go Tip toe, tip toe, tip toe. from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Icarus Shot Down" People busting down the doors of your world People messing about with numbers and signs Half are talking up a storm the rest are begging for bacon rind At your door and at your feet they gather to leave you glue and stars together to make you half complete and pay you to cum in old jam jars. from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"It's Just Breakfast" A clout 'round the head and we're up for the feed and begging the goose for the egg that we need We're devastated by our own hunger Famished as a rise from slumber from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Paper Grave" The paper flutters off the tube and grows a pair of paper wings as it glides down to earth It rests upon the hungry birds that tear at its perforated skin Their bellies, full of young stones and worms, coiling in agony in their acid graves groan from Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014)"Sharp Garden" You muzzle the flowers and you crumble the light The mushroom stands for painless death The toad beneath in silent oath plunges the glass shard at your throat cover for Graham Lambkin's Came to Call Mine (Penultimate Press, 2014) A short interview with Graham Lambkin Do the images begin spontaneously? My color scheme is arranged beforehand, but the image content develops arbitrarily. I like the initial mark-making to be as loose as possible, so maybe I'll start attacking the paper with my eyes closed or throw pencils at the surface from across the room—anything to avoid an overly precious start which always frustrates my creative process. Once I'm satisfied that I have enough of a framework to build on I'll start moving in on the details and taking control. Which came first for this book: the images or the texts? The images come first. Sometimes I steer the content toward an idea for a text and bring them together that way, or sometimes I wait until the piece is finished and try to figure out what's what and describe it. These works seem to merge your more figurative and abstract drawing styles. Has one style been overtaking the other? They've been in collision for some time, I've just learned how to reconcile them more convincingly. Pieces like 'Limestone' and 'Adam & Eve & Onlooker' are much more figurative, whereas 'Whale Force' or 'Pokus Breaks' take the abstract position much further. Everything else floats somewhere in between. The texts remind me of wordplay-focused children's books, something like Edward Lear. Is there any influence from such books? Yes, I wanted my book to have some of that about it. Mother Goose as well. The best nursery rhymes have an unsettling side to them. That struck me as an adult re-reading these things to my children over the last 10 years. I was very interested in capturing that simplicity and magnetism. Do you make up stories to read to your children? No, but we do a lot of collaborative artwork which is always fun, normally on the back of old shopping bags, or decorating catfood boxes. That sort of thing. Who are some of your favorite writers? For children's books I like classics like Beatrix Potter, Kenneth Grahame, B.B.'s Little Grey Men / Down The Bright Steam, and also Jan Brett who's probably my favorite children's book illustrator... It changes as they get older. This post first appeared on April 10, 2014 on 50 Watts

Space Teriyaki 7

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Visions of space and the future in Japan in the 70s and 80s See the full series. Gan Hosoya, 1973, “Silence” poster The standard spiel:What you are seeing here is a selection of scans from my still-growing stash of books and catalogs on Japanese illustration and design. I apologize for the stupid series name. I didn't realize it would be a series when I did the first post on a whim three years ago. I may airbrush it out at some point. Ikuo Niida, 1975, record coverTadami Yamada, c.1975Genpei Akasegawa, c.1975Koichi Sato, 1986, Housing Company CalendarHajime Sorayama, c.1975Hiroshi Manabe, early 70s Hiroshi Manabe, early 70s Hiroshi Manabe, early 70s Hisashi Saito, 1983, catalog illustrationHiroshi Morishima, 1985, handmade folding screensKatsuji Isaka, c.1975Kazuyuki Goto, c.1975Masatoshi Toda, 1986, posterMitsuo Katsui, 1986, posterMitsuo Katsui, 1986, posterSadao Sato, 1983, original workGoto Shimaoka, 1981, posterKenkichi Satao, early 80s (one of these per installment, 4eva)Yusaku Kamekura, 1986, posterTadanori Yokoo, 1976, Amnesty International Poster See the full series This post first appeared on April 14, 2014 on 50 Watts

Tom Thumb 1880

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The Story of Tom Thumb, 1880 edition, illustrator unknown. A random find from the Children's Library. The same publisher and illustrator also did a version of Cock Robin (previously): This post first appeared on April 16, 2014 on 50 Watts

Happy Record Store Day

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Happy Record Store Day (April 19, 2014) from 50 Watts Image by Koichi Hara, 1987. (Scanned when putting together a Space Teriyaki post.) This post first appeared on April 16, 2014 on 50 Watts

Buen Humor

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Illustrations from the 1920s Spanish satirical magazine Buen Humor1922, illus. Tono These scans come from the sprawling Hemeroteca Digital database of the National Library of Spain. Graphic artist and cartoonist Pedro Antonio Villahermosa y Borao (nicknamed Sileno) started Buen Humor in 1921. It ran for 400 or 500 issues (Hermeroteca houses 410) until 1931. You can read more about it (in Spanish) here. I've previously featured some of the illustrators who worked on Buen Humor: Rafael de Penagos (1889-1954), Lluis Bagaria Bou (1882-1940), Ricardo García López (1890-1984) aka K-Hito, Francisco López Rubio (1895-1965), and Salvador Bartolozzi. Once again, my friend Alfonso Melendez turned me on to this work. 1926, illus. Riveron1922, illus. Herrero1926, illus. Castillo1922, illus. Penagos19221921 (front)1921 (back)1926, illus. Alfaraz1922, illus. Bagaria1921, illus. Lopez Rubio1921, illus. Pérez Durías 1922, Pérez Durías 1926, Bilbao1921, illus. Ribas1923, illus. K-Hito1923, illus. K-Hito1922, illus. K-Hito1921, illus. K-Hito1926, illus. Tono1922, illus. Alonso1922, illus. Garran1922, illus. Lopez Rubio1922, illus. Castanys1922, illus. Tono1923, illus. K-Hito1922, illus. Barberi (?)1923, illus. Galindo1923, illus. Diaz-Anton1922 This post first appeared on April 17, 2014 on 50 Watts

The Ideas of Mr. April

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Illustrations by Vladimír Fuka for "Nápady pana Apríla" by Jiří Kolář (Prague, 1961) After scanning this book the other night, I Googled Vladimír Fuka (1926–1977) and found that he's "in the news" for the recently unearthed (it was lost in an attic!) book New York: A Mod Portrait of the City. I will need to buy that immediately. Fuka won many illustration and design awards (he was also a painter and sculptor). He immigrated to the United States in 1967 and became a US citizen in 1973. (See some more work at Terry Posters.) You can read about Jiří Kolář (1914–2002) at wikipedia. I had only known Kolář for his collages, but he started out as a poet. Fuka and Kolář worked on a few children's books together, most famously Seventh Heaven (1964, awarded a gold medal at Bologna). You can see images from Seventh Heaven at Albatros. I'm not sure about my translation of the title. Bing suggests "The Ideas of Mr. April Fools." I've previously done features for But Does it Float on book designs by Fuka (via Bustbright) and collages by Kolář. back endpaper An image from a Czech bookstore shows an envelope pasted on the right back endpaper. My copy has no envelope. Anyone know what's in it? Are they cut-up illustrations which you lay over the illustrations to change them?front endpaperscover Please visit the archives for Czech books illustrated by Hoffmeister, Pacovska, Serych, Stepan, Bednarova, and friends. This post first appeared on April 22, 2014 on 50 Watts

Kjel, The Black Swan

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Illustrations by Dražen Jerabek for 'Kjel, The Black Swan' by Želimir Hercigonja (Croatia, 2003) via the International Children's Digital Library The illustrator Dražen Jerabek has a facebook page. This post first appeared on April 23, 2014 on 50 Watts

La Grande Illusion: Vintage French Movie Posters

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La Grande Illusion, c.1946 artist: Bernard Lancy These reproductions are from expired auction listings at ha.com. The dates range from 1927 to 1981 with many posters from the 1940s.Fantômas, 1932 artist unknown Fantômas, 1947 artist: Jacques Fourastie The Lodger, 1944 artist: Roger Jacquier RojacThe Killers, 1964 artist: Guy Gérard Noël Beauty and the Beast, 1946 artist: Jean-Denis Malclès Eyes Without a Face, 1960 artist: Jean MasciiEyes Without a Face, 1960 artist: Jean MasciiEarth Versus the Flying Saucers, 1956 artist: Georges KerfyserGodzilla, 1956 artist: A. PoucelWages of Fear, 1953 artist: Rene FerracciThe Maltese Falcon, 1941 artist unknownThe Big Sleep, 1946 artist: Vincent Cristellys Casablanca, 1940s artist: Pierre PigeotNotorious, 1946 artist: Pierre SegogneScarlett Empress, 1934 artist: Roger VacherThe Birds, 1963 artist: Boris GrinssonThe Stranger, 1945 artist: Clement HurelThe Mysterious Rider, 1927The Mysterious Island, 1929Bird of Paradise, 1932 artist: Bernard LancyThe Big Clock, 1948 artist: Boris GrissonMiracle in Milan, 1951 artist: Boris GrinssonSix in Paris, 1965 artist: Folon More Folon on 50 Watts Stalker, 1981 artist: FolonThe Holy Mountain, 1973 Previously: The Holy Mountain of Contemporary Polish Posters This post first appeared on April 24, 2014 on 50 Watts

Image Dive 1

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illus. from an 1850s "Materia Medica" book via Dassaishooku I've decided to reboot the "Image Dive" series I did on A Journey Round My Skull in 2009 and 2010. I've posted a handful of these images on facebook, tumblr, or twitter in the past year. Japanese badger from an 1850s "Materia Medica" book via DassaishookuGaston de Latenay, 1899, Nausikaa illustration via Book GraphicsGaston de Latenay, 1899, Nausikaa illustration via Book Graphicsillus. by Hiromi Nishizaka via mlle ghoulTom Seidmann-Freud, Das Wunderhaus, 1927 via via UB Braunschweig Previous post on Tom Seidmann-Freud: The Rabbit Dreams of Dr. Freud's Niece Tom Seidmann-Freud, Das Wunderhaus, 1927 via via UB Braunschweig The book has lots of moving parts.Dodo, from 'Atlas de Zoologie' 1844 by Paul Gervais see the full post on BibliOdysseycover illus. by Carlos Gonzalez, 1924, MexicoMexican work safety poster, 1938 via Swann Auctions 50 Watts is concerned for your safetyFuturo cover, 1942, Josep Renaufrom El perro, el ratón y el gato, 1930 Spain via Memoria de Madrid More to come from this publication, some day "Der Rote" by frequent 50 Watts cover star Richard Teschner via the Theater MuseumEdmund Dulac, illus. for La Toison d'Or et quelques autres Contes de la Grèce ancienne Armand Vallee, 1926 I'm not sure of the story behind this image. The artist Christian Schumann shared it on facebook.Faust illus. by René Clarke, 1932 via Book Graphics Fullscreen Marcus Behmer, c. 1900 via Swann previous feature on BehmerThe Emperor's New Clothes, DDR style via the new blog Red SailsFumo der Rauchgeist (Fumo the Smoke Spirit) by Elfi & Kurt Wendlandt, 1962 again via Red Sailsillus. by Cesar from Le Canard enchainé via Multiglom via BibliOdyssey's tumblr "Threshold" by Kevin Lucbert, 2014 website / tumblrrecent work by Josh Courlas I featured Josh Courlas on But Does it Float a couple years ago (pretty please archive your old work Josh!) recent work by Josh CourlasLittle Red Riding Hood, illus. by Tibor Kárpáti (Hungary, 2006) via the International Children's Digital Library Little Red Riding Hood, illus. by Tibor Kárpáti (Hungary, 2006) via the International Children's Digital Library by Merijn HosChildcraft, vol. 14, Quarrie Corporation, 1939 via ha.comThe Fabulous World of Jules Verne, Hungarian poster, 1958 via ha.com Heritage says it is a "representation of the Czech film The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, based on the 1896 Verne novel Face the Flag. The tale is cleverly filmed in a special process which causes every image on screen to resemble an old-fashioned woodcut engraving, which the poster offered here mimics to great effect."Czech Planet of the Apes poster by Vatislav Hlavaty via ha.comRomanian Planet of the Apes poster, 1978 via ha.comCreeping Poison movie poster, 1946, Austria via ha.com According to Heritage this film — also known as Schleichendes Gift — is "a post-WWII documentary about venereal disease." detail

Roku Redux

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"Rays of the Sun in the Afternoon" Rokuro Taniuchi (or Roku, as he often signs) is one of my favorite illustrators and I've featured him many times over the years. These images from the 1950s are again courtesy of Jimoto and his stunning site Dassaishooku. Previous posts on this artist My note from the first post I did on Roku in October 2008:I discovered the incredible Japanese illustrator Rokuro Taniuchi (1921–81) while searching for Tadanori Yokoo books. On the Amazon listing for this profusely-illustrated book—Taniuchi Rokuro Gensouki (Shinshindo, 1981)—Yokoo is listed as the editor. The book seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found it. Through some creative googling of Japanese characters, I did manage to dig up an archive [link now dead]. Comparing the book to this site, I discovered that many of the images were originally made for the Weekly Shincho. I think others must surely be illustrations for children's books. The artist dated some of the works: late 40s / early 50s. The book includes an insert promoting the "Unicorn Color Series." Has anyone heard of this series? I plan to do another post from this book—it is too good not to share. Update: Paul McCann kindly translated the captions! "A Night Where a Raid Seems Likely"(Paul says: "untranslatable pun, 晩 is just 'evening' but looks like 日 day + 兔 rabbit") "Distributing Whale Meat""The Aching Orphan""Bathhouse""Dandelions in Sunamachi" (Paul adds, "real place, literally 'Sand Town'")"The Story of the Slave Trader" (and Paul adds "???")"The Day the Prostitute Died" I've featured these last three images before but I love them and Jimoto's scans are better so here they are again: "The Magnetic Dolls Bought at the Fair""The Autumn the War Ended""The Frightening Road Home" Previous posts on this artist This post first appeared on April 30, 2014 on 50 Watts

The Evil Empress

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Illustrations by Jana Sigmundová for 'O zlé carevně' (The Evil Empress) (Prague, 1969) This little book is a translation of Andrey Platonov's version of a Russian folk tale. His version is called "Soldat i tsaritsa" (The Soldier and the Tsaritsa). I learned this from Robert Chandler, Platonov's translator (by way of Sara Kramer — thank you both!). Jana Sigmundová (b. 1940) is a Czech graphic artist and illustrator. She studied with František Muzika at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. The blog Socik Style lists her books with some thumbnails. In 2013, Albatros republished a 1973 book featuring Sigmundová's illustrations: Little Lucy's Book. They call it "one of the pioneering art-and-education books for very young children." Please visit the archives for Czech books illustrated by Hoffmeister, Pacovska, Serych, Stepan, Bednarova, and friends. This post first appeared on May 1, 2014 on 50 Watts

The Man

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"The Man" by G. Akechi, scanned from "Black Magazine" (Japan, 1971) Three years ago I bought 19 issues of "Black Magazine," a bizarre and rather disturbing—but also funny—Japanese magazine from the early 70s. (Thank you Christophe.) This thing makes Plexus look like LIFE. It's so unsettling that I hid the set (I think it's a complete set) on a high shelf and didn't look at it for years. Each issue is about 150 pages (6" x 8.25"), mostly black-and-white (and mostly text) but always with some 2-color and 4-color pages. Toshio Saeki appears in many issues, alongside collage paeans to Mishima, stunning comics by Genpei Akasegawa, and what appear to be stills from Shuji Terayama religious snuff films. If you think Rory Hayes and Holy Mountain are a little too tame you should sell some more acid and buy a set. Every "centerfold" — there's a ton of nudity — features either a mannequin or a transvestite or both (holding scissors). The fact that something so self-consciously "transgressive" still feels transgressive is surprising, and might have to do with projection from the fact that I can't read the text, though I have the feeling the text is even more insane. I started to make some scans — follow my progress @50WattsDotCom — and hope to do a series of posts by theme/artist (though maybe starting with a big overview). I don't know anything about G. Akechi, though it is probably a pseudonym. Previously: Puss Magazine This post first appeared on May 6, 2014 on 50 Watts

Carnival in Mexico

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From "Carnival in Mexico," a portfolio of lithographs by Carlos Mérida (1940) Previous posts on this artist: Dances of Mexico, The Hungry Moon, and The Bird. Bio from wikipedia:Carlos Mérida (1891 – 1984) was a Guatemalan artist who was one of the first to fuse European modern painting to Latin American themes, especially those related to Guatemala and Mexico. He was part of the Mexican muralism movement in subject matter but less so in style, favoring a non-figurative and later geometric style rather than a figurative, narrative style. Mérida is best known for canvas and mural work, the latter including elements such as glass and ceramic mosaic on major constructions in the 1950s and 1960s. [cont. reading] Scans via Mexico Ilustrado 1920-1950 and Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920-1950. This post first appeared on May 6, 2014 on 50 Watts

25 Book Covers by Janusz Stanny

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Janusz Stanny's book designs for the publishing house Wydawnictwo Iskry (Poland, 1954–1963) 1961 Janusz Stanny (born 1932) died in February of this year. He was one of the titans of Polish illustration and design, serving as director of The Studio of Illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw for twenty-five years, beginning in 1971. He designed and illustrated countless books. The scans here come from publisher Iskry's Pinterest page. I plan to do some posts of their covers, sorted by designer or decade. It's been three years since the Polish book cover contest (you can see more covers by Stanny at that link), and I'm glad to return to this material after the long break. The contest's judges have had some real successes: Peter Mendelsund has two books coming out in August (Cover and What We See When We Read) and Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński have had a worldwide hit book with their stunning children's book Maps. 19611958, The Lost World1962195719581960196119611962c. late 50s/early 60s Three Men in a Boat1962195919541955195619571957195719581960196319591960, Uncle Tom's CabinThis one is via Garaż ilustracji książkowych. Go there to see the whole book. Previously: This post first appeared on May 8, 2014 on 50 Watts

Hatsuyama Shigeru

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Illustrations by Hatsuyama Shigeru for the legendary illustrated magazine Kodomo no kuni ("Children's Land"), 1928–36 1931 Bio of Hatsuyama Shigeru (sometimes "Hatuyama," 初山滋) (1897–1973) from Kodomo No Kuni:Hatsuyama was born in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1897. In 1906 he studied yamato-e painting for three months under Araki Tanrei, a Kano-school painter in Yanaka (Tokyo), and in 1907 he painted kimono patterns at a workshop in Kanda-Imagawabashi. He studied the style of painter Ogata Korin (1658-1716). In 1911 he became a disciple of Ikawa Sengai, a Japanese-style painter known for his bijinga (images of beautiful women). In 1919, following the founding of the children's magazine Otogi no sekai [Fairy World] (Bunkodo), Hatsuyama did the illustrations for its cover from the inaugural to the very last issue which came out in October 1923. There's also a longer bio at The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints. Many of his books have been reprinted In Japan (I've been collecting them). And about the site that houses 9000 images from the almost 300 issues of Kodomo no kuni: "This program was created as part of the Picture Book Gallery project of the International Library of Children's Literature to introduce in digital form the story of the picture book genre from its beginnings until the present. The program was designed to reproduce the works contained in the journal Kodomo no kuni [Children's Land] and convert them to digital images, which have been edited and titled and made available to the public as a virtual exhibit." Previously: Hatsuyama's Thumbelina and Takei No Kuni. 1932/193519301932193219321931193419351929(detail)192919281928193519331932193519301934193519351929'193619351935 This post first appeared on May 12, 2014 on 50 Watts

The Little Song that Ran Away

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Illustrations by Birutė Žilytė (Lithuania, 1966) These images come Pabėgusi dainelė (The Little Song that Ran Away) by the Lithuanian writer Aldona Liobytė. About the illustrator, Birutė Žilytė (from Illustrarium)Born in the village of Nainiškiai in the Panevėžys district in 1930, she lives in Vilnius. She is the wife of Algirdas Steponavičius, the graphic artist and children’s book illustrator, and mother of Daina Steponavičiūtė, a graphic artist. She studied graphic art at the Lithuanian State Art Institute, graduating in 1956. She worked as an art teacher at the Vilnius M.K. Čiurlionis Art school from 1963 to 1987, and also made engravings. In 1964, together with Algirdas Steponavičius and Laimutis Ločeris, she painted murals for the Nykštukas children’s cafe in Vilnius. From 1969 to 1972, together with Steponavičius, she decorated the Pušelė children’s sanatorium in Valkininkai with murals. She made her first illustrations for children’s books in 1957; her own original style, combining elements of folk and pop art, evolved around 1964 (the illustrations to Mykolas Sluckis’ children’s book Nedėkingas ančiukas [The Ungrateful Duckling] and to the tales Užburtos birbynės [The Enchanted Pipes] by Sonė Tomarienė). Žilytė has been considered an innovator since 1967, when the children’s book by the Latvian classic Janis Rainis Aukso sietelis (The Little Golden Sieve) with her illustrations was published. In 1969, she was awarded the Golden Apple for the book at the Bratislava Children’s Book Illustrations Biennial. In 1971, she won the gold medal at the Leipzig Book Fair for her illustrations to Pasaka apie narsią Vilniaus mergaitę ir galvažudį Žaliabarzdį (A Fairy Tale about the Brave Girl from Vilnius and Greenbeard the Killer) by the Lithuanian writer Aldona Liobytė. For this book and Pabėgusi dainelė (The Little Song that Ran Away) by Liobytė, which was published in 1966, she was awarded the State Prize of Soviet Lithuania. In 1976, her illustrations to Kostas Kubilinskas’ Stovi pasakų namelis (A Little Fairy-Tale House) earned her the Hans Christian Andersen Diploma of Honour at the IBBY 25th Congress. She has illustrated (on her own and together with Steponavičius) 14 books. In 2010, she held her first personal exhibition at the Lithuanian National Gallery. [via Illustrarium] Also see this interview with the artist (in Lithuanian). The artist's biography is by Dr. G. Jankevičiūtė, curator of the exhibition Illustrarium: Soviet Lithuanian Children's Book Illustration. Thanks again to Rūta for your help! See all posts tagged "Lithuania" This post first appeared on May 13, 2014 on 50 Watts

Květa Pacovská 1968

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Illustrations by Květa Pacovská for 'Karlička a bílý koník' by Branka Jurcová (Brno, 1968) I haven't featured Květa Pacovská in four years though I've been steadily amassing her books. Here's a fun one from 1968. See all posts of her illustrations. Květa Pacovská was born in 1928 in Prague, where she still lives and works. She began her career as an illustrator in the fifties, specializing in object books, three-dimensional tactile works and illustrations of children’s stories. A sense of playfulness is an essential characteristic of her work. Her works include bizarre collages, mirrors and superimpositions of different kinds of paper, cut-outs capable of generating ever new characters and stories, as in the miniature theatre of Midnight Play. Her illustrations are immediately recognizable for the use of bold, saturated colors without nuances, a dense style and almost childlike use of lines. Her passion for geometric and abstract shapes is often based on the use of linguistic signs, as in Alphabet in which letters and numbers merge with her creatures. One of her latest works is Unfold/Enfold, an elegant fold-out object book that features unexpected pop-up pages and explosions of colour. [Bologna Book Fair bio] Please visit the archives for Czech books illustrated by Hoffmeister, Pacovska, Serych, Stepan, Bednarova, and friends. This post first appeared on May 20, 2014 on 50 Watts
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