BRANGWYN’S BIG PRINTS BOOK

Dr Libby Horner has made a tremendous contribution to our knowledge and appreciation of the work of Sir Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956), and this is perhaps her most ambitious project to date. It comprises five individual volumes in a handsome slipcase, covering Brangwyn’s entire output in the media of wood engravings, etchings, lithographs and bookplates. The fifth volume of ‘general notes’ brings together a tabulated biography, extensive bibliography, a museums and exhibitions index plus a full list of titles. Every work is fully illustrated, in colour where appropriate, with a wealth of additional detail.

The largest volume is devoted to the etchings, ranging from the large landscapes and industrial scenes to the haunting engravings of everyday Jewish life made in 1931 for L’Ombre de la Croix, some not much larger than a postage stamp.

The bookplates volume again demonstrates Brangwyn’s skill in small-scale works, and here we see the artist’s wicked sense of humour. The volume of lithographs reminds us that Brangwyn was one of the few Royal Academicians who was prepared to lend his art to commercial purposes; he produced over 30 large-scale posters. By contrast, this volume also includes his powerful Stations of the Cross. Brangwyn’s wood engraving work, often for book illustrations, was also wide-ranging in scale and subject matter.

The volume is handsomely produced. This, coupled with Horner’s impeccable scholarship and obvious passion for her subject, makes it an essential acquisition for all Brangwyn enthusiasts.

Libby Horner, Self-published: mail@frankbrangwyn.org , 2023, pb in slipcase, £125 + £8.00 p&p UK

Condensed from a review by Andrew Dalton in DAS Newsletter No. 131