THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF ILLUMINATION
The style of decoration suggested in the previous chapter was based, to
a large extent, on pen-work. The examples indicated in Fig. 32 show a
further development, in which brush-work plays a more prominent part.
A suggestion for an illuminated version of the Twenty-third Psalm is
shown in (_d_). The decoration here may appear somewhat stiff, but it
is difficult to show in black and white the effect that colour gives.
This simple and somewhat severe type of decoration is, however, much
easier for the beginner than the freer kind of ornament.
It is rather difficult to suggest in writing the exact colouring, as
so much depends on the various shades used to form the general colour
scheme. Possibly the following notes may be useful to the student as
indicating roughly the colours that may be used.
[Illustration: FIG. 32.]
The writing is in black with the capital letters in red. The background
of the initial and border, _viz._, the parts indicated by horizontal
shading, should be blue. This colour should be neither too dark nor
too light, also it should not tend towards either purple or green.
The student should take special note of the blues used by the mediæval
artists. The large initial T should be painted in a warm shade of red,
not quite so vivid as vermilion, nor yet a cool crimson. The centre of
this initial and also the centres of the blossoms, with the background
of the small circles formed by the stems, are of raised burnished
gold, as also are the small buds in the line work. The stems should
be painted in a neutral tint and may be heightened up in places with
touches of clean bright colour. The leaves may be green shaded with a
lighter tint of the same colour. The flowers might be a pale creamy
tint with the centres shaded with orange. The scroll-work on the colour
may be painted either in white or in a lighter tint of the background
colour upon which it is painted. The initial T may be treated in this
way, and also shaded with a darker red.
In (_e_) an arrangement is shown for a page with the border completely
surrounding it. Some endeavour should be made to get good pattern
with the masses of gold and colour. In the page suggested in (_f_)
the decoration is formed down one side, springing from the initial P.
The initial B that is shown here is in raised gold, the flowers in
the centre also being in gold, as well as the berries in the pen-work
springing from the letter. The background of the letter is blue and
red--blue where the shading is indicated by horizontal strokes and red
where vertical strokes are used.
A study of plant form is very useful to the illuminator. The decoration
used by the mediæval artist was practically all based on natural
forms, and some of the best advice that can be given to the modern
illuminator is that he should study nature. In doing this the student
should remember that the object is primarily decoration and not
representation. He should not degrade this art into a mere realistic
rendering of sprays of flowers, insects, etc., but rather aim at
producing decoration as the direct result of his study of nature. As
an example, some of the ivy-leaf decoration that was so much used
during the fourteenth century is shown here. The importance of study
from nature cannot be emphasized too strongly. Drawing from plant-form
is one of the best exercises the illuminator can have. Possibly a few
hints on this important study will be of service to the student.
In the first place, when drawing a plant, or indeed any natural object,
one should be careful to avoid drawing it like drawing a map, _i.e._,
without realising that it is form. If this is persisted in, the result
will be that the drawing will be lacking in vitality, besides being not
nearly so intelligible. If the endeavour be made to keep constantly
before the mind the fact that it is _form_ that one is drawing, and
everything is carefully reasoned out before attempting to draw it, the
finished drawing will not only have far more life in it, but it will
also be much easier to understand.
One should also strive to draw with feeling; there is a great
difference between a _living_ plant and an artificial reproduction of
it. The drawings of plants and flowers made by some students remind
one of paper flowers and foliage, as they are drawn in such a hard and
severe manner. A natural leaf is a thing of beauty, there is nothing
rigid or stiff about it, but one that is cut out of paper is dead and
unyielding in every respect and is absolutely devoid of all feeling.
One should get all the life and feeling possible into one’s drawing,
and this comes from plenty of practice in careful and thoughtful
drawing from nature.
When making plant studies for one’s own use in design there is no need
to limit oneself by making outline drawings in pen and ink, as when
they are intended to be reproduced by means of line-blocks. The aim of
the artist should be to make the drawing as much as possible like the
original. It is not advisable to go in for sketchy effects; everything
should be made perfectly intelligible so that it is possible to
understand every detail of the drawing.
Of course, some parts of the plant should be painted in colours, so as
to form a record of the actual colours, but for general drawing a soft
black-lead pencil, such as a 3 or 4B, is very useful. One should be
careful to observe all the details, such as the way the branches attach
themselves to the main stem, also the manner in which the leaves and
flowers arrange themselves. The feeling of unity which runs throughout
the whole of the plant should be carefully noted, how there is a
distinct relationship between every leaf and bud with the main stem.
There is no need to confine one’s nature study to actual plant-drawing.
If one’s powers of perception are trained to observe, there is a
great deal to be learned from a walk in the country. Attention should
be given to the pattern that abounds everywhere in nature; flowery
banks and hedgerows are rich in suggestion. The meadow spangled with
buttercups and daisies is a delightful example. A field of barley when
it is just beginning to change colour offers a wealth of possibilities
both in pattern and colour. Then take trees, their different structure
and foliage. No two species of trees are exactly alike in the
arrangement of foliage, etc. One should not, however, give too much
attention to detail to the neglect of considering things as a whole.
For example, a tree as a whole should be noted, attention being given
to the way in which the trunk springs from the ground and the general
massing of the branches and foliage.
The use of a sketch-book for noting things down is very useful, but
too much reliance should not be placed on this. If one’s powers of
perception are trained to observe, the memory will be stored with an
abundance of suggestions and ideas from the study of nature that has
been going on almost unconsciously day by day.
[Illustration: FIG. 33.]
As well as nature study, the student should also make careful study of
some of the best illuminated work of the mediæval period, especially on
the lines indicated in the chapter on the Initial Letter. The use of
a note-book will prove to be very serviceable for this purpose. Quick
sketches of the arrangement of the pages, as suggested in Fig. 33,
should help the student very much in arranging the decoration of the
page. Of course, the drawing of details is also useful, as by carefully
copying some of the initials and decoration he is able to gain some
experience of the mediæval artists’ methods of working.
[Illustration: A ROLL OF HONOUR.
_By kind permission of
Miss Harrison, of
Little Waltham Hall._
]
Possibly it may be as well to say a few words about miniature painting
in connection with illumination. As has often been explained, the
term “miniature” when used with reference to illuminated MSS. must
not be confounded with the modern idea of miniature painting, _i.e._,
painting on a small scale in a minute fashion, as the word “miniature”
is derived from the Latin word _minium_, the red pigment used in the
decoration of MSS., therefore the original meaning is writing or
painting with minium. There is also no reason at all why miniatures,
when painted on vellum and used in conjunction with illumination,
should be stippled and worked up in the minute fashion that is usual
with the ordinary miniatures on ivory.
It is not advisable to paint these in a similar way to the ordinary
water-colour painting. It is very difficult to paint on vellum in this
way. Undoubtedly the best way is to paint fairly direct, using body
colour. The miniatures should be nicely finished without any excessive
laboured finish produced by stippling or other similar methods.
A miniature should always be treated as part of the decoration, and
not as a picture added to it. If the student examines carefully the
best work of the mediæval period he will notice that it is practically
impossible to separate the miniature from the rest of the decoration.
A strong feeling of unity runs throughout the whole. The greater part
of modern work, however, differs in this respect. The miniature is
often quite good, so also is the decoration, but they are independent
of each other. It would be quite possible to replace the miniature by
another totally different. The ideal that he should endeavour to attain
to is to make the miniature with the rest of the decoration form one
harmonious whole.
Although the miniature should be essentially decorative, there is no
need to make it too rigid and conventional. A fair amount of sketching
from nature will go a good way towards preventing this. It is not a bad
plan for the student to practise making small quick sketches in oils
from nature, treating the subject broadly and going for colour. This
will help him very much in painting his miniatures in a direct fashion,
and, if this is combined with plenty of careful drawing, it should
enable him to develop his style of decoration considerably.
With regard to the decoration as a whole, it has often been said that
it is impossible to teach one how to design, but that it is possible to
direct one in the right way; and there is no better method than that
suggested above, _viz._, a study of nature combined with good examples
of work that has been done in the past.
[Illustration: ILLUMINATED ALTAR TABLET.]
When designing, it is a great mistake to strive after originality. The
way to be original is to be natural and do the work in the best way
that one is able. If the artist does this he is certain to be original,
as he cannot help himself. If he strives after originality the
work produced will be of an unhealthy type, and will show signs of
affectation which will be anything but pleasant.
Imitating someone else is equally foolish, as an imitation can never
be equal to the real thing. Art is worth nothing unless it springs
spontaneously from the joy of working, without any concentration on its
æsthetic aspects. Therefore the thing for the modern illuminator to do
is not to imitate either ancient or modern artists, but simply seek to
do his best, giving the best workmanship that he is capable of. There
are untold possibilities in the future for the development of schools
of illumination as great as any of those that have existed in the past.
There are quite a number of different ways in which illumination might
be used in the present day. Perhaps it might be useful to suggest a few
of these.
The Illuminated Address and the Illuminated MS. Book are so important
that separate chapters have been devoted to these.
One of the most important things that illumination can be used for is
for the service of the Church.
Altar tablets offer plenty of scope for the modern illuminator. They
should, of course, be on vellum and be framed quite simply.
Service Books, such as the Communion Service, also provide another
application for illumination. Books should be written in sections. (See
Chapter 25 on the Illuminated MS. Book.) A Service Book may either be
fairly elaborate or may be written simply in black and red. It is as
well to use red for the Rubrics, so as to make a distinction between
these and the rest of the text.
The Marriage Service is another thing that may well be written out in
good script and illuminated. This should have the size of the pages on
the small side, as in this case it would be for the use of a private
person and not for the clergy.
Texts for churches, the Creed, Commandments, etc., are also subjects
suitable for illumination. These should be bold and distinct.
Permanent Notices in churches and other buildings would be much more
attractive if, instead of the usual printed form being used, they
were executed with beautiful lettering, preferably with a reed pen,
and possibly illuminated. These should, however, not be overburdened
with decoration, as it is necessary that they should be as distinct as
possible. Black and burnished gold makes a very effective combination.
Another use to which illumination might be utilised is Family Trees and
Pedigrees. These are likely to give plenty of opportunities for the
illuminator, as good decoration may easily be formed with coats of arms
and other symbols.
Many other things will probably suggest themselves to the artist as
subjects suitable for illumination.
[Illustration: A CHURCH PORCH TEXT.]