Book selected: James Gillray, The Arts Council
I have always admired the salty work of James Gillray, from the first time I encountered it as a printmaking college student. The sheer viciousness of it appealed to the timid young woman I was then, and now, in an era of treating public figures like gods who need to be protected, it appeals to me more than ever.
The skill of his engraving, the sure lines that made his subjects jump off the page, the wide range of grays he was able to achieve, were also the envy of a young printmaker.
In my altered book I attempted to emphasise both of these qualities- both kinds of bite- political and artistic. The text and reproductions in the original book were both of poor quality, and I long ago stopped wanting to read art criticism. So I eliminated a lot of what was originally there.
The drawing that I put on the cover was made after he was declared “mad”. I believe it is a self-portrait, and the messy freedom of it after years of the demands of engraving, must have been a great pleasure to him. At least I hope so. A drawing like that seems like a brief but intense conversation with the artist to me.
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