Thomas Bewick — Engraver, Publisher, Innovator

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of revising assessment of the work of the outstanding British engraver and publisher Thomas Bewick. Traditionally, it is considered in the context of the general history of engraving development, mostly not connected with either animalistics or scientific editions. In this regard, T. Bewick’s works of artistic significance belong to natural-scientific illustrations and are used in popular science editions. The erroneous assessment of his works is associated with a widespread stereotype in which scientific illustration is considered as something of low artistic value. The purpose of this research is to study the genesis of T. Bewick’s creativity by analyzing his main works. Of particular interest is the research of the artistic features of woodcut technique, which, thanks to T. Bewick, has found a new life. It is traced the evolution of the engraver’s work from his early period to mature one. The complexity of Bewick’s talent is noted not only as an engraver of book illustrations, but also as an engraver of bookplates. The characteristic of the technique of cutting a design into hardwood cut across is given, the innovative methods thanks to which Bewick has brought this type of an engraving to a new level of book illustration are revealed. Based on the memoirs of Bewick, the author traces the history of the creation of his main books — “A General History of the Quadrupeds” and “A History of British Birds”. It is noted that illustrations by G. Buffon and H. White served as additional sources for “A History of British Birds” despite the use of his own sketches. The author analyses the illustrations and engravings from these books, which are kept in the collections of the Research and Scientific Department of Rare Books (Museum of Book) of the Russian State Library. The structural features of the brief descriptions of “A General History of the Quadrupeds” are considered. Particular attention is paid to the style of the vignettes, which present an integral part of Bewick’s creative credo. Such features of Bewick’s illustrations as realism, as well as the depiction of humorous genre scenes and jokes are revealed. The author notes that at a late stage of Bewick’s art work he rarely uses black cross-hatching, using instead combinations of the wide fields and carefully engraved white spots. The most essential features of Bewick’s engraving are revealed: the principle of “white line”, hatching with crossed and parallel lines, creation of halftones with very thin strokes and tiny dots. It is emphasized that although Bewick’s illustrations have been published in popular scientific publications, they have influenced the development of scientific illustration through their highly artistic execution. It is concluded that woodcut technique allowed to simulate the volume of an image by means of a white stroke.