YEAR 1 - Professional and Contextual analysis - 1/5: Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake was born in 1932, and has enjoyed a career of illustration spanning, arguably, over 70 years. When talking about his first ventures into art, according to Blake, 'there was nothing to suggest that I could draw - my parent's certainly couldn't'. A fond memory of his involves a spectator's viewpoint upon a drawing of his when he was a young child, commenting that 'he draws a lot, but he won't speak!'

"I don't wait for inspiration. I'm not, in fact, quite sure what inspiration is, but I'm sure that if it is going to turn up, my having started work is the precondition of its arrival."
— Quentin Blake (Words and Pictures)

A self drawn portait of the man himself.

Quentin Blake has often described himself as a teacher, and it is Blake's association with education that is the main driving force of his career. During Blake's education, he had many influences that inspired him in his career path. Interestingly enough, all of these influences seem be in the form of authorative figures in his life, mainly his tutors that guided him throughout his learning experiences. The first of these tutors was his Latin teacher during his schoolboy years at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, Mr. Alf Jackson. Mr.Jackson 'was a painter, who had a very naive style influenced by Modigliani. What I loved about him was that he spoke both about punch and Michelangelo. So I showed him my drawings.' Alongside his Latin teacher, another tutor whom influenced him at Chislehurst was his English teacher, Mr. JH Walsh. These influences spurred him to make a name for himself through his illustrations, and as young as Quentin being 16, did he achieve his first success in his illustrations being published in the satire 'The Punch'.

Quentin's take on John Dee (1546) for his Cambridge Mural.

There is often a stigma surrounding art and art courses at educational institutes. The belief that you cannot make a living off of art can be seen within Blake's choice of university. In 1953, Blake studied English at Cambridge University. "I knew I wanted to be an artist and that I would have to train, but I thought that if I went to art school I would never go to a university, whereas if I did go to university I would still have the option of doing art." . Again at Cambridge, he found another influencing figure within tutor Mr. FR Leavis, and his love for the literature of Charles Dickens passed onto Blake."I was fascinated by Dickens and by his illustrators, who were crucial to his career as a novelist. I've never lost my interest, nor my love, for Cruikshank and Phiz, Dickens' illustrators."  It can be said that through Dicken's came Blake's interest in marrying Illustration and story together.

While studying at Cambridge, Blake went on to fufil his words of taking as many oppotunities for his art as he could, producing illustrations for magazines, and took a position of art editing for the magazine Granta. Blake still values his connection with Cambridge, most recently (2009) creating a 70 foot long mural of influencial figures to have studied or had connection with Cambridge for it's 800th year anniversery. After his studies at Cambridge, it was then that Blake decided to dedicate himself towards a career in the arts, musing that "I decided to give it until I was 30 and if I hadn't made it by then, pack up and do something else." Blake studied at the Chelsea School of Art, citing his reasons as  "I went there because I read an article about a man called Brian Robb who described himself as cartoonist, painter, illustrator. I wanted to be all three! I'd seen his illustrations to Tristram Shandy and I thought he could give me the advice I needed." It turned out to be true, as from there it was where Blake developed his art. After his qualifications, he went on to do a year of teacher training, to which he became a tutor at the Royal College of Art.

 

Quentin's association with Roald Dahl is the defining work of his career. 

Francisco De Goya is one of the artists that Blake revered.

Quentin is an illustrator whom works with watercolours. The way that Quentin works is that he draws various roughs of what he envisions in his mind, then tightens this up by going over his roughs with a quilled pen over a lightbox. According to Blake, this is absolutely not tracing, but defining and reshaping. Once Blake is happy with his work, he proceeds to bring them to life with water colours. Blake, and many others, describe his work as having 'movement', the simplicity of his illustrations only helps to heighten the charm of the subject that he is drawing. His style of drawing was not forced, rather, Blake says that the style came to him moreso than him wanting to achieve an impressionable mark. Imagination is the key componant to art, as Blake says 'In life drawing, one was obsessed with capturing accurately what one saw, but that isn't enough for art. The really great artists like Rembrandt and Goya could draw what was in front of them and unleash their imaginations at the same time. I couldn't. So now I don't draw from life. I draw as though I'm trying to capture something that isn't there.'  

For myself, as for many children growing up, my inspiration of Quentin Blake originates from his work with Roald Dahl, whom he illustrated for from 1975 until 1990 following Dahl's death. On his relationship with Dahl, Blake notes "What was so wonderful to me was that so many of Roald's stories were fantastical, unrealistic, so I was free to do what I wanted. I could let my style develop. Think of The Twits or the BFG - they don't really take place in a realistic world. They come from my head." Since his work for Dahl, Blake has gone on to illustrate for over 300 books, illustrating for his own written works as well. His most recent illustration commission was for David Walliams' childrens books, which include The boy in the Dress and Mr Stink. Upon his collaboration with Walliams, Blake comments "I was...worried it would have loads of projectile vomiting...but I wanted to do it as soon as I read it". When it comes to his illustration, although children's book illustrations are his forte and what he is most known for, Quentin also ventures into other territory with his art. He is well known in France, in which he has worked for the likes of

One of Blake's commisions on a building site.

Quixote, Cyrano de Bergerac and french author Daniel Pennac which features adult content. His illustrative work has been recognized in France, and he was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres for his contribution to literature in 2004. His work Angelo (1970) was used as the foundation of a children's opera. He has also worked on comissions outside of literature and books, including a mural called 'Planet Zog' for the NHS, and commissioned by property developer Argent to create a large piece of artwork to adorn the brownfield site of Stanley Building South.

'I've never met a child who didn't love Quentin Blake.'

- Melanie McDonagh, the Daily Telegraph

 Quentin Blake is a 'national institution'. He has recieved numerous awards for his works, including the 1974 Whitbread Award for his Children's Book How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen. He was awarded an OBE in 1988 which furthered onto being awarded a CBE in 2005. He was voted by the Observer Magazine as the 'Illustrator's Illustrator' in 1990 and in 1999 he was the UK's first ever Children's Laureate. Other awards include the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Kate Greenway Medal (1980), Emil/Kurt Maschler Award (1990), Bologna Ragazzi Prize, the JM Barrie lifetime achievement award

and the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2007). Blake has also been awarded with 12 honorary degrees.

Blake has also been a patron in promoting ethical ties within his work. Since his post as Children's Laeurate in 2002,  he has been working on a project in which to bring illustration to a forefront in the artistic world, hoping to open a House of Illustration near the British Library. He is also associated with the campaign called 'The Big Draw' in which encourages people through a series of events to draw across the country. Blake has always kept his education in mind, as he continues to do the occasional lecture on illustration, and travels to inspire teachers on how to get children interested in books and illustrations. The earliest recollection of his charitable work can be called attention to in his national service, in which as a Sergeant he illustrated a book called the 'English Parade' which was aimed at soldiers who had difficulties reading.

Quentin Blake to me is one of the most influencial artistic people I have ever come across, he inspires me to draw in a way that sparks off my imagination and interpreation of the world. His success through literature has been astounding, and today there are many illustrators whom wish to, and respectively so, compare themselves to Quentin Blake.



Bibliography
http://www.quentinblake.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/sep/28/art.booksforchildrenandteenagers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Blake
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http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/artist.php?art=1204
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/8025259/Quentin-Blake-on-Degas-What-makes-a-masterpiece.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8281204.stm
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/20384/exhibitions/quentin-blake-roald-dahl.html
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2008/mar/06/quentin.blake.world.book.day
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http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1730&Itemid=515/
http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/
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http://www.teachers.tv/videos/quentin-blake-the-power-of-illustration