THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF HUGH THOMSON HD
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- It never ceases to amaze me that illustrators of the calibre of Hugh Thomson can become so sidelined in terms of awareness of their lives and achievements. During his lifetime he was only marginally less popular than the obvious stellar presences of the Golden Age such as Rackham and Dulac. I had intended to feature him in the unsung heroes series but subsequently found a large volume of his illustrated work, and I'm pleased to say it has enabled me to make this solo video instead.
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Fortunately, there are still people who have a noble commitment to bringing valuable information to other interested people. Your channel is one of the few that I love to follow.
Hello and that's avery nice thing to say about my efforts with the channel. Such appreciation is always welcomed.
@RoMario Jânio, I agree; this channel is an invaluable source of inspiration for people pursuing careers in art in general and illustration in particular. There are so many wonderful artists, styles, and techniques showcased here!
@@SteveRB511 Many thanks for your appreciation of the channel.
Did I understand you to say he had virtually no schooling and he worked without models? As if his work itself were not sufficient to make him more well remembered. Thanks for keeping Hugh Thomson, and so many other illustrators, alive in our memory.
Hello and yes you are correct on both counts. As I said in the video, it's a mystery how he could have become so obscure, and I'm pleased you and others snow appreciate his work.
Hugh Thomson such an outstanding illustrator. Rare and endurable abilities for sure. Much enjoyed. Thank you Pete.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation of this video.
These are lovely illustrations , that capture the periods they came from beautifully , I did not know about this artists , thank you Peter .
Thanks for your comment, and I'm pleased to have introduced Thomson's work to you and quite a few others.
His talent is evident in every illustration. Same as your words, Pete.
Many thanks from both of us.
Another illustrator unknown to me! And Hugh Thomson is just wonderful! Beautiful pen drawings that really capture the action. His horses are superb. And I love the little domestic details: clocks on the mantel, dinnerware on the table, and best of all the animals! Dogs sleeping on top of each other, a puppy tearing up a book, a cat watching the action. I love his illustrations of the Austen novels, which are favorites. I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation and comment. And I'm very pleased you share my admiration for Thomson's remarkable talent.
Thank you, Pete Beard - wonderful!
You are more than welcome. Thanks for the comment.
Again, I must thank this channel for introducing me to yet another outstandign artist.
Hello and the channel (me) thanks you profusely.
What a talent. People, horses, landscapes, period clothing, all so well done.
Thanks for the comment, and it beggars belief that he could tackle all that with such credibility.
And he makes it look so effortless, too.
Cheers and thank you to the Vasari of this age. Thank you, Pete.
Thanks a lot for your highly flattering comparison. maybe they'll say that when I have croaked.
You uncovered another brilliant illustrator with a keen eye for pen drawings unknown to me. Many thanks again!
As always, my gratitude for your enduring support.
What a wonderful illustrator, thank you Pete
I'm very pleased you appreciate his work. Thanks a lot for the comment.
What beautiful illustrations! Thank you so much, Pete Beard, for all your brilliant videos.
Many thanks to you for your appreciation of this video, and the channel in general.
Terrific video! Excellent artist! Thanks for sharing
Hello again and thanks a lot for the comment - I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Pete, it's been a while, but, I wanted you to know that I'm still a devotee of your extraordinary contributions to our understanding and appreciation of the vast talents of so many artists of the past. Your series focused on the individual accomplishments of specific artists is particularly helpful in understanding the depth and breath of a life spent in the pursuit of art. Kudos. Len
Hello Len, and it's good to hear from you. It's by no means compulsory to keep commenting (even if I never complain when some vewers do). I'm just pleased you are still finding the channel content interesting. And just by the way, are you aware of French marine artist/illustrator Albert Brenet? If not he's well worth a look. Bye for now, Pete.
As ever, this illustrator demonstrates brilliantly just what a wretched replacement photography is for the magic of the artist. His depictions of contemporary scenes are even more fascinating that the nostalgic. Your videos are a dependable delight.
Thanks as always, and I'm very pleased that you and others have welcomed this look at Thomson's life and work. And just an aside - when I used to teach illustration I used to urge my students to not pass up the chance to throw any photographer they met in the canal. I was only half joking...
Wonderful visual records of his era.
Thanks a lot for your comment.
I am particularly impressed with how minor additions of color add a great effect on realism. Thanks, again....
Hi Mike, and thanks as ever for your comment and enduring appreciation.
Another wonderful illustrator I have seen but not appreciated before! Thank you so much for adding to my artistic vocabulary:)
Thanks a lot for your appreciation.
That was a real tonic...cheers...E
You are always welcome, as I'm sure you realise.
Many of his illustrations resemble stills from a film, capturing a moment of the action. His illustrations are packed with details -- period costumes, furniture, curious onlookers, distracted little boys, etc.
Absolutely. Its one thing to create an image of a single figure, but group compositions like this demand the greatest of talents. Thanks for the comment.
You've brought my attention to so many illustrators I didn't know before, and the actual videos are so entertaining. I hope you enjoy making these as much as I do watching them.
Thanks so much for your favourable comment about the video, and channel. And the answer is that I very much enjoy making the videos, and having spent most of my life moaning about how illustration is the poor cousin of fine art, I finally get to do something to redress the balance.
Thanks to revive memories about all of those talented artists ! Mr Thomson had a remarkable way to depict scenes, in such a traditional way. I really like that !
Thanks again for another positive comment. I'm pleased you enjoyed his work.
Thanks Pete! Your videos have become an integral part of my Sunday mornings now, adding a bit of culture to my otherwise industrial outlook.
Thanks again for another favourable comment. They are always welcome.
An amazing artist, once again, new to me. Thanks, Pete. I can only wonder in envy at Thomson's productivity and how much he packed into his relatively short life. Another wonderful and beautifully presented video.
Hello and thanks as usual for your favourable response to this video. I just can't imagine how he's been so sidelined since.
Your videos shine brightly in my house. Thomson and the other excellent illustrators featured on these exquisite reels are smiling down at you and your excellent coverage of their accomplished artworks. Bravo!
Many thanks for your particularly kind words and appreciation of my efforts with the channel. It really is a tonic to know viewers enjoy the content.
Beautiful and accomplished imagery where every drawing tells a story. Thanks Pete.
That's as good an assessment of his illustration as I can think of. Thanks for the comment.
👍Thank you!🇬🇧🇵🇹
You're always welcome.
I thought that I recognized the artist. I have a copy of his As You Like It. Very enjoyable illustrations. This is the first time that I've heard more about him. Damn shame that he passed away so young.
Thanks again for another favourable comment. It does seem that dying what to us seems quite young was pretty widespread at the time. Pretty poor healthcare was the norm, unfortunately.
@@petebeard Indeed. At 62, I have outlived my father who passed suddenly at 58 from a heart attack. He only had one properly functioning lung because of developing TB in the late 40s. He spent quite some time, as so many TB sufferers, on a veranda to get that good old cure all, fresh air.
What a lovely artist! His talent was already visible in the early drawings you showed us, but it is always remarkable to see the growth and adaptability in such an artist. Very versatile, his humorous drawings are hilarious. My wife and I are partial to his monochrome work, although the colour plates are stunning as well. Thank you, once more!
Hello to you both and thanks again for your enduring support of the channel.
Pete! I'm back! Like 3 years ears ago when i first started painting I used to watch your videos religiously for inspiration and history. I picked up guitar and my youtube feed and live revolved around music, but I'm taking a break to paint and I'm just excited to get back to the comfort of your channel. Thanks for always being there and doing what you do😊
Hello and I'm glad you have come back, following your deviation from the path of righteousness. I hope you'll find plenty of material not previously seen to keep you interested.
Gracias, adoro su canal. Saludos desde Perú.
Muchas gracias por su comentario y apreciación. Es un verdadero placer saber que el canal se ve en lo que para mí son lugares lejanos y exóticos como lo es Perú.
Mr. Beard, It is always a pleasure to enjoy your descriptions of various artists. You say more with less words than those who write volumes and say little. Nicely done!
Thanks a lot - that's a very flattering comment, and one that is greatly appreciated. I try not to waffle too much.
Thank You.
My pleasure.
I have a new favorite.
...glad to hear it, and thanks for the comment.
I always look forward to each new presentation of yours that appears in my UA-cam feed. Very enriching to my day.
Many thanks for your appreciation of my work on the channel. It always brightens my own day to receive such comments.
Magnificent.
Absolutely.
Every single person you have featured in your videos deserves to be remembered. You're doing it in an excellent way. I know some material is hard to come by, but if there are some that seem to have an abundance of material, it might be nice to see more of their work if it's available, dare I say some, if it weren't for you, may never be seen again. Thank you Pete.
Hello again and thanks as usual for your appreiation of my work on the channel. There is the occasional illustrator who has enough work available to allow me to make slightly onger videos, but my own short attention span seems to want me to hover around the 15 minute mark. And there is also the issue that even if there are more pictures to be had invariably biographical information isn't so abundant, which leaves me with not that much to say.
Mr.Beard,
It's odd how much I look forward to the next and the next posting and education you provide. I'm sitting hoping.... And waiting...
Hi again, and from my perspective I certainly wouldn't call it odd. I'd call it eager anticipation, and for that I'm very grateful. A new one will be uploaded in a couple of hours.
Oh the man could draw a horse, though! Marvelous!!
Just one of his exceptional abilities - thanks for the comment.
Wow, this artist was amazing. I know I've seen a lot of his work in books I've read or seen. Thanks for another great mini-doc, Pete.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation of this video, and Thomson's remarkable illustrations.
Thank you again Sir for an in-depth look at previous artists of mention
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation. Both are very welcome.
Thanks for shedding light on another illustrator who I had not heard of, and who is worth knowing about.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm pleased you appreciate Thomson's illustration skill.
Died age 60 ... he was highly talented & to die at that age ... sad
It is sad, but he was far from alone in that regard at that time. All I can say I'm glad that 80 is the new 60. Maybe I've got a few good years in me yet.
Your work is tremendous.
What can I say, except thanks a lot. It;s really good to know the work is appreciated.
I agree with you regarding Thomson's popularity; it seems Thomson never crossed the Atlantic and published only in the UK so I'm wondering if that's one of the reasons his wonderful work isn't better known. But, as you mentioned, he was able to make a decent living with his art, so that's good to hear. And speaking of making a living with art back at the turn of the 19th-20th century, I'm curious if illustrators received royalties for their work. You talked of Thomson selling his originals and some prints, but curious as to if they received compensation for new editions to some of the books he illustrated (or is that a relatively new 20th century thing? Hey, I'm American and always wondering about the business end of making art along with the ascetic and spiritual side ;-)...). Anyway, another great video, Pete. A nice Saturday night "bedtime story" with pictures before I close down the studio for the day. Hope you and the missus are well. Cheers, Pete!
Hi again, and you're right about his lack of transatlantic success. Odd that he was Irish and yet so much of his work was by English authors too. And I can tell you with certainty that he did get paid royalties for his work. Then, as now it was by no means the rule - Edmund Dulac was paid a flat fee for his book illustrations (a very generous one though). Thomson was paid a fairly generous sum on completion but had a deal whereby he was also paid an additional small amount for every copy sold after the first thousand. Consequently he was one of the wealthiest illustrators of his time, over here at least.Thanks for the good wishes, and we'll be a whole lot better when we arrive in Barcelona in a couple of weeks time. Summer has been cancelled here.
@@petebeard I read Dulac got 700 pounds per book, plus his split with Leicester Galleries for the originals.
gosh that 1898 jack the giant killer looks like the technicolour or the vr of the time! such wonderful videos thank you, even the music is so lovely
Thanks a lot for your appreciation, and I still think it's areal pity that book didn't become the first of a series. No idea why not.
Definitely an unknown to me! Lovely work; I particularly like the spontaneity of his pencil and pen. One of the closing images - the two women in discussion - is just a delight. Interesting that he rarely used models. And again, another artist who appears to have been largely self-taught?
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of Thomson's marvellous and highly plausible figure work.
A superb 'solo' video on Hugh Thomson, Mr Beard. Thank you.
Austin Dobson at least once accompanied Hugh Thomson (in the "ideal partnership") to the South Kensington Museum (the V&A) to source original costumes and furniture.
The As You Like It original watercolours are in the Folger and were acquired from Maggs in 2 shipments in the late 1920s. They are well worth a look and are worked in colour much more than the Austen and Dobson works.
Thank you for including the Hamelin opera - the book is a delight. It came out in various formats and in a large paper edition where the wide borders complement magically the wonderfully tight and contained compositions only one of which has a lined border. You present the Mayor and Corporation consultation as landscape and rightly so. Its upended composition (and the sole violator) ruins the book for me and I can never understand how it appeared thus ... sigh.
Thank you for an informed and illuminating quarter of an hour. It has made my day. Thank you.
Hello again, and your positive response to this video is particularly welcome. Obviously you are way more aware of Thomson's work than most other viewers so it's good to know I'm getting the information right, at least in the main. How he came to be so ignored baffles me.
I hate to comment yet again but your narrative and incredibly well done reproductions of Hugh Thomson's art compels me to bother you yet again.
As you mentioned in your episode, his detail of a begone era is compelling even though he himself died over 100 years ago.
His graphite (pencil?) and pen-and-ink scenes are incredibly detailed and have been stunningly rendered in this episode.
Kudos to your narrative and to whomever does your videography.
Stunning for sure... JJS
Please don't stop "bothering" me with your comments. Knowing I've done a decent job in the making of these videos is very important to me. And I'm not sure I'd call it videography, but that's me too. I'm a total one man band, with the assistance of my computer and the internet.
Just beautiful and as you say, under appreciated. Another great episode Pete. Please consider doing one on Carl 'Giles'. A bit later in the day,but I think one of the greatest illustrators. So perfect in his depictions of everyday British life. Best regards from Aotearoa.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Giles has been on my to do list for quite some time, and he is one of my most enduring favourite illustrators. But...so far I have allowed him to languish as I'm not sure how to approach his work. With no slur intended it tends to be restricted in its scope, which is fine by me but makes it especially hard to construct a meaningful narration. I have similar issues with other fvourites such as George Herriman and Walt Kelly. But eventually I will make an attempt I'm sure.
(257) Amazing eye for detail in regards to the period he was addressing. I can only guess he haunted more than a few archives and museums to get the "feel" for whatever period he was taxed to portray. What a shame he was lost to the world so early. Thank you for this mesmerizing upload, Mr. Beard. I have lost any interest in trying to understand the fickle nature of those who purport to admire art for art's sake. Their loss ...
Hello again and thanks a lot for another favourable response. His was certainly a remarkable talent, but not as remarkable as the fact that he has been almost forgotten.
Another home run, Pete!
Thanks a lot, and I'm delightde you think so.
You are a wonderful narrator. Such a pleasant voice. :o)
Many thanks for your flattering comment. It's an odd thing but to me I just sound like a mildly grumpy old man from Manchester. I'm pleased to know that's not how others hear my voice.
pen and ink as well as watercolor washes are now very popular among today's up and coming artists. this was most interesting.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation.
Lovely and informative as ever. Would you consider doing videos on Charles Tunnicliffe and Norman Thelwell?
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Both names are on my "maybe" list but I'm a little deterred by the absence of much visual variety in both cases. There are others I also admire and have come to similar regrettable conclusions. But who knows? As I say both are possibles.
I actually knew him through Jane Austeen, but didn't know who he actually was, untill now that is ;)
Well, I'm glad to have provided you with a name.
Hello, I would love to watch a video about 70s illustrations, it's my favorite decade in visual arts and music 💛✨
Hello again, and I must admit I hadn't thought of making a specifically 70s video, but I will now. I should warn you I have literally dozens more videos as works in progress so it would be a while before I could get round to it. But the good (I hope) news is that there is a history of illustrated record covers among those projects, and of course the 70s will feature heavily in that.
I just love your videos. Have you looked into Rafaello Busoni?
Thanks a lot. And I had never previously heard of Rafaello Busoni so thanks even more for that. I've just had a quick trawl and it looks very much like I'll be able to include him in the series. But I have to issue what;s becoming a regular warning - he's joining a queue of over 50 others that are already works in progress. I'm not saying he will necessarily go to the end of the line (I'm fairly impulsive) but it will undoubtedly be a while.
Another splendid video. Can you say anything about whether the original illustrations exist, and where they are? Do many originals - for any of the artists you cover - exist?
Thanks for your appreciation. In most cases originals do exist, and the best places to find them are art auction sites. Two I view regularly are Mutualart and Invaluable. Currently Mutualart have more than 100 Thomson pictures for sale. My problem with this situation is in most cases the originals are in prvate hands of collectors and are used to make money. Which I don't mind all that much, but it would be nice if many more were on view in galleries and museums - and generally they are not.
@@petebeard Thank you for that, I shall have a look at those sites.
I have a collection of Hugh Thomson's illustrated books. So long as you aren't after special limited editions with fine bindings, they are still quite affordable. Incidentally, the WW1 propaganda cartoons are from a pamphlet published in August 1918 written by Isodore Spielmann called "Germany's Impending Doom". I believe the original (4) illustrations are in the Imperial War Museum.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and for the information about the propaganda cartoons. Like the Jack the Giant Killer book I think it's a great pity he didn't do more of it.
I've watched everyone of your videos from the start and I have to ask, do you draw and illustrate yourself, or just interested in the arts and teach?
Hi John. Firstly thanks a bunch for your dedication to the channel. And yes I used to be an illustrator between 1973 and 2016, at which point I retired and started making videos instead. There is an early, short and not very good resolution video on the channel with a small selection of my work if you're interested. Search for Pete Beard Portfolio on youtube and you'll find it
Have you heard of Tom Poulton? A friend just gave me a book....he was a busy U.K. medical illustrator, who illustrated countless textbooks and reference books, and died in the 60s. After his death, they found scads of erotic drawings he did, beautiful, but very graphic, using his detailed knowledge of anatomy. He did sketches for himself, plus a bunch were commissioned by some rich guy. His illustrations are probably WAY too racy to feature here, but, again, what a talented artist! I had never heard of him.
Thanks for the information about Tom Poulton. I had never heard of him either. But much as I would like to afeature his work, as you rightly point out most of it would never get past the censors at youtube. Nevertheless I'm grateful for the knowledge.
@@petebeard Yes, he is not UA-cam friendly, for sure. Having worked in healthcare for many years, I love his obsession with correct anatomy, and his wild depictions in a very buttoned-down time. Love your presentations!
Hello!
They are all different stories…
Young lady, (looking in the mirror) is gorgeous.
( Sorry for my “little”English)
Thank you.🍃
Hello again and thanks again - and please don't worry about your English. I can always understand what you say.
I wonder what the first year was of man riding horses. hard to say, with Native Americans included.
Thanks for the comment - that's something for the historians/archaeologists to pontificate on. If the rest of history is anytging to go by I'd guess the Chinese.
Another lovely edition , thank you pete
I'm glad you enjoyed it - thanks a lot.