Nicolas Bentley 1907-1978
This
is but a small fraction of the work of this prolific artist whose
illustrations can still be found in profusion in secondhand and new
bookshops. The obvious comparison is with Gluyas Williams, a similar
sharp line style with black infIll. The comparison shows how special
was Bentley's work in depicting characteristic gestures and stances
of the age. I am grateful for them both. Perhaps it was Bentley who
was a particularly influential part of the British influence on Smart
Set illustration in America.
Bentley
rarely had the opportunity to construct a sustained body of interpretative
visual work, which makes his illustrated books so worthy of study. He
does seem more comfortable in the one-off drawing, or several drawings
on a similar theme. I have added colour because Bentley is so associated
with black and white. The endpapers Bentley designed are so easily overlooked.
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