Shadows of Stone: Eric Gill

Eric Gill | The Daily Herald Order of Industrial Heroism | 1929

This has always struck me as a fantastic illustration of Gandalf taking Pippin and the Palantir from Orthanc to Minas Tirith.

Eric Gill | The Friars Tale from Canterbury Tales

Eric Gill | Border from Canterbury Tales

Eric Gill | The FranklinsTtale (page borders)

Eric Gill (1882 – 1940) an extraordinary sculptor image maker and typeface designer (Gill Sans, is his probably his best known work the corporate typeface of the BBC and one-time darling of Penguin Book covers) Gill also had strange religious beliefs and a deeply unsavoury personal life. Nonetheless his illustrations for Cantebury Tales, and The Bible, amongst others have a strange, earthy yet otherworldly charm. Graceful linework, simplicity of form and masterful sense of space one would expect from one of the leading lights of early Modern British design (or late Arts and Crafts, if such labels matter much).

Meanwhile the subject matter not a million miles away from surreal Swords and Sorcery. To cite Gill as an artistic influence would be an understatement, the graphic sensibility, the stylisation and 'flat-ness' of the work all inform the image making practices and preferences.   Erics work (typefaces excepted?) should become copyright free in 2015 (?) perhaps someone will do for Gill what Dark Dungeons did for Gustave Dore...