"Favourite Tales From Shakespeare", Bernard Miles, Illustrated By Victor G. Ambrus (Published by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, London 1976) Part 3

 

 

I imagine a lot of people will be familiar with the work of Victor G. Ambrus (born 1935), biography on:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Ambrus  His style is unmistakable, his figures always very dramatic in their postures and colourful garments, and beautifully drawn in every detail. Ambrus was born in Budapest, Hungary but had to flee his country in 1956, having been involved with fellow students in the unsuccessful Hungarian revolt against their Soviet-backed Government. He found refuge in Britain and, despite his limited knowledge of the English language, he continued his studies in illustration at Farnham Art School. His outstanding talent was soon recognised and he was eventually awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London for a further three year study in illustration and printmaking. The artist's official website is: http://www.victorambrus.com/Home.html The illustrations below are from "Hamlet".

 

 

 

"Favourite Tales From Shakespeare", Bernard Miles, Illustrated By Victor G. Ambrus (Published by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, London 1976) Part 2

 

  "Twelfth Night"...

 

 

"Favourite Tales From Shakespeare", Bernard Miles, Illustrated By Victor G. Ambrus (Published by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, London 1976) Part 1

 

 

 

Three illustrations from "Macbeth"...

 

"King Lear", Ian Pollock, part2

There are 160 pages in this book - faithful to the original Shakespeare text - and each picture is almost like an artwork in its own right. It must have taken the artist ages to finish the whole story. The execution of the illustrations appears to be easy but there is a lot of work on the details of the costumes, the dramatic effect of the lighting and the compositions. To my surprise the book is still available (new) today and well worth having for any Ian Pollock fans.

"King Lear", W. Shakespeare, illustrated by Ian Pollock (publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, London 1984)

This is a true gem from the eighties. Ian Pollock was at the time one of the most exciting and influential illustrators in the world (and probably still is) and this is a superb example of his work. The quality of the colours and the drawings is so unique even though so many have since tried to copy this style. It's so difficult to achieve this level of freshness and fluidity in a drawing while conveying a narrative in a figurative way - the perfect balance between illustration and fine art. Here's a link for Pollock's website: http://ianpollock.co.uk

"Henry IV Part1" Published by Cambridge University Press 1958 (Cover design by Cecil Keeling)

This jacket is so good - there's so much going on in these four faces yet still eye-catching as a book cover. All illustrations and designs I've seen by Cecil Keeling (born in Teddington, Middlesex 1912 and died in 1976) are elegant and quite distinctive. Here's a link for his work on a 1947 book called "Pictures From Persia" http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/k/keeling/ck.htm

I'm hoping to find some more of his books one day - I've not read this one yet!

Fairy Mythology of Shakespeare (Published 1875)

I've had this book for years before I noticed the beautiful details in these very small decorative engravings for each chapter. No mention of the artist of course - they may have been part of the service the printers (Ballantyne & Company) provided for the publisher. Shame not to give credit to such lovely work.