Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham is one of the most influential illustrators in children’s literature. His works, marked by muted colors, sinuous lines, and long, linear figures, leave readers with a lingering haunted aura. Rackham’s goal in illustration was to bring imagination to life, often creating expressive mannerisms for human and animal characters alike. Many of Rackham’s works contain a suggestion of movement, as if from an imaginary gust of wind as well as tricks of light.
His airborne pieces are often considered his best, such as his illustrations for Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens that play with such movement. Rackham believed illustrations should be separate from the text in order to illustrate an entire scene rather than a mere line of text. On examination of his works, one can see he had a truly innovative style, using pen work for his sketches that served as a foundation for his watercolor work.
