Lines in Art
Kay Nielsen
Kay Rasmus Nielsen (March 12, 1886 – June 21, 1957) was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" He illustrated “Arabian Nights” & “East of the Sun West of the Moon” among others. As well he did backdrop work for the Royal Danish Theater. Later in his career his work was used in several scenes of Walt Disney’s “Fantasia”.
Below is on of his illustration displaying a group of women in the woods. This picture stood out to me and reminded me of the subject of lines because of the numerous distinctive trees in the backdrop of the picture.
Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. Many of illustrations were drawn with distinctive black lines and this is what attracted me to his art work.
Rackham invented his own unique technique which resembled photographic reproduction; he would first sketch an outline of his drawing, then lightly block in shapes and details. Afterwards he would add lines in pen and India ink, removing the pencil traces after it had dried. With colour pictures, he would then apply multiple washes of colour until transparent tints were created. He would also go on to expand the use of silhouette cuts in illustration work.
Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick (12 August 1753 – 8 November 1828) was an English wood engraver and ornithologist.
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Both copperplate engraving and etching were a few of his methods of fine printmaking. In intaglio printmaking, lines are engraved with metal gravers or etched into a copper plate with the use of acid. The plate is then inked and wiped clean, leaving ink in the incised lines. The plate is printed with great pressure, usually through a set of rollers, so that the dampened paper will absorb all the ink from the lines in the plate.
In relation to engraving lines and printing. Chinese block printing comes to mind, where lines and shapes were also used for the formation of an image.
The Great Wave, by Hokusai
Hokusai's most famous picture and easily Japan's most famous image is a seascape with Mt. Fuji. The waves form a frame through which we see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Hokusai loved to depict water in motion: the foam of the wave is breaking into claws which grasp for the fishermen. The large wave forms a massive yin to the yang of empty space under it. The impending crash of the wave brings tension into the painting.
Lines in Nature
I used Google's search engine to find images relating to lines and nature and found these.
The lines of the tree branches.
The lines of a spider web.
The black and white lines of a Zebra.
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