Arthur Rackham Art

Arthur Rackham (September 19, 1867 - September 6, 1939) was a British artist best known for his illustrations for children’s literature and classic fiction. While in London, he enrolled for evening classes at the Lambeth School of Art and spent seven years studying there while also working full-time in an insurance office. Rackham also began illustrating books while he was a staff artist for the Westminster Budget newspaper. He used the new halftone process and became very skillful at it. This made his images to reveal a unique range of imagination. He came to limelight following the publication of a 1900 edition of the Grimm brother’s Fairy Tales where his illustrations were featured. Rackham illustrated a limited edition of Rip Van Winkle of the Washington Irving. This made him known in America as well. In 1908, he was made a full member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolors. Rackham’s work was inspired by two German artists Albrecht Altdorfer and Albrecht Durer. He produced drawings that are distinctive for their high detail and angularity. His illustrations are also noted for their ability to communicate the spirit of each story. In total, Albrecht illustrated over 60 books, including works of John Milton, Edgar Allan Poe, Izaak Walton, Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens, James Barrie, William Shakespeare, as well as Mother Goose rhymes and many other collections of fairy tales. His illustrations were chiefly based on robust India ink and pen drawings. He perfected his own uniquely expressive line from his in subtle use of watercolor and background journalistic illustration, combined with a technique in photographic reproduction which he was able to exploit due to technological developments. Framed Arthur Rackham art are currently in great demand all over the world.