An Illustration is a visualisation such as drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate a story, poem or piece of textual information (such as a newspaper article), traditionally by providing a visual representation of something described in the text.
Function
Illustrations can be used to display a wide range of subject matter and serve a variety of functions like:
- giving faces to characters in a story;
- displaying a number of examples of an item described in an academic textbook (e.g. A Typology);
- visualising step-wise sets of instructions in a technical manual.
- communicating subtle thematic tone in a narrative.
- linking brands to the ideas of human expression, invididuality and creativity.
- envoking the viewer to feel emotion in such a way as to expand on the linguistic aspects of the narrative.
History
Early history
The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric cave paintings. Before the invention of the printing press, illuminated manuscripts were hand-illustrated.
15th century through 18th century
During the 15th century, books illustrated with woodcut illustrations became available. The main processes used for reproduction of illustrations during the 16th and 17th centuries were engraving and etching. At the end of the 18th centrury, lithography allowed even better illustrations to be reproduced.
Golden age of illustration
The American "golden age of illustration" lasted from the 1880s until shortly after World War I (although the active career of several later "golden age" illustrators went on for another few decades). This was a time when newspapers, mass market magazines, and illustrated books were the most dominant media available. Improvements in printing technology freed illustrators to experiment with color and new rendering techniques. A small group of illustrators in this time became rich and famous. The imagery they created was a portrait of American aspirations of the time.
In Europe, golden age artists were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and by such design-oriented movements as the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, and Les Nabis. Leading artists included Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. American illustration of this period was anchored by the Brandywine Valley tradition, begun by Howard Pyle and carried on by his students, who included Norman Rockwell, Haddon Sundblom, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Schoonover and Edwin Austin Abbey.
Illustration today
Starting in the 1990s, traditional illustrators confronted a challenge from those using computer software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and CorelDRAW. Most of the new generation of illustrators are trained at colleges directly in front of the screen.
Illustration art
Today, there is a growing interest in collecting and admiring original artwork that was used as illustrations in books, magazines, posters, etc. Various museum exhibitions, magazines and art galleries have devoted space to the illustrators of the past.
Internet Resources
See also