EXTRACTS: illustrators issue 3 © 2013 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

93 American illustrator Bernie Fuchs, who was probably the most influential illustrator in the second half of the 20th century, always put the function of the painting first, and the form second. He worked hard to get the right result, often producing numerous preliminary sketches, in his quest for excellence. They were done quickly and with enormous energy. His first two sketches are lively, and the compositions are unusual, but the third sketch is executed with considerable boldness, confirming that he was fully in his stride, and had found the right solution. The finished painting is masterly, both in composition and technique, and the silhouetting of the children with the chairs is stunning. It retains some of the energetic brushwork from the preliminary sketch, yet the figure work is detailed, and a study of controlled looseness. Combined with the skill of the page designer the published result is a complete master class. Bryn Havord l ABOVE: The painting as it appeared dropped into the art editor’s layout with a sensitive choice of typography, playing to the strengths of Fuchs’ artwork.