CONCLUDING REMARKS
It may be as well again to emphasise the fact that it is imperative, if
one desires to succeed in the art of illumination, that it should be
taken up in a serious manner and not merely as a pleasant pastime. It
is an art which is worthy of the best that time and careful study can
give to it, and it may serve as useful a purpose in the present day as
it has done in the past.
There is no royal road to success: this can only come through steadily
plodding along the lines suggested. The methods of study that have been
outlined in the previous chapters are the result of what the writer has
learned in the hard but excellent school of experience.
Good, well-formed writing comes first and foremost, making use of the
reed and quill pen in the formation of letters. The method of practice,
commencing with simple pen-strokes, that is given in the early part of
this book, ought to enable the student to produce good lettering if he
works with the exercises in the manner suggested. After he has become
familiar with the use of the pen in this way he will be able to study
the various forms of lettering that were used in the past in a much
more intelligent fashion than would be the case if he had no knowledge
concerning the manner in which the letters were formed. He should
continue this study on the lines suggested in Chapter 6, and should not
be content with the examples given here but should study the original
manuscripts for himself.
Careful attention should be given to the way in which the lettering
is arranged and the manner in which the letters and words are massed
together. The student cannot have too much practice with the reed and
quill pen.
The many good historical forms of Roman lettering should not be
neglected. Roman lettering is, without doubt, the most useful form of
lettering for general inscriptions, and it is necessary that the modern
illuminator should be familiar with the beautiful forms of this style
of lettering. He should note the general arrangement of these letters
when used in inscriptions, etc. He will experience no difficulty in
getting photographs of some of the important Latin inscriptions that
were executed with letters of this style.
He should endeavour to form these letters in a direct manner with
the pen and brush, and, if he has worked consistently with the quill
and reed pen in the manner described, he will find that he will soon
acquire dexterity in forming these letters. The practice that he gets
through forming these letters with the brush will be most helpful to
him when the time comes for him to make use of the brush for painting
in decoration.
It is hoped that the very brief sketch that is given of the history of
illumination may arouse some interest, so that the student will study
this subject for himself, going into detail that is quite impossible
here. Even if the whole of this volume had been devoted to the history
of this art it would have been impossible in this limited space to deal
with it in an efficient manner. The object of this short survey has
been merely to act as an introduction to the study of this important
subject.
Making use of a simple colour scheme such as red and black, as is
suggested in Chapter 12., is likely to act as an excellent training
in taste. If the student starts straight away with a full array of
colours, the chances are that the result may be anything but pleasant
and agreeable. If he is able to produce good pattern with black and
red, he will probably be able to do good work with gold and colours.
However, if he cannot make good pattern with these, he will find it
difficult to do it more successfully with less limited means.
The student will never regret the time spent in the study of the best
work of the Middle Ages. By this means he is brought face to face with
examples of the work of artists who were masters in this particular
craft. The study of the best work that the mediæval artists have
produced, combined with plenty of study from nature, is, without doubt,
the finest training that the modern illuminator could possibly have.
One would hesitate to recommend the one without the other, as the
general tendency of the illuminator who neglects nature study, going to
ancient examples only, is to produce weak imitations of mediæval work.
If this is the case, there can be no opportunity for real living art.
On the other hand, if the study of the best work of the mediæval period
is neglected, he loses the benefit that may be gained by a close study
of the methods of working employed by the artists of the Middle Ages.
The same problems that confront him were before the mediæval artist,
and, although there is no necessity for him to produce imitation
thirteenth-and fourteenth-century illumination, he is able to build on
the foundation that these artists have laid and help to carry forward
the traditions of the craft in the best way that he is able.
That there are abundant ways in the present day in which the modern
illuminator may make use of his craft has been amply exemplified in the
preceding pages. The work of the craftsman, of course, stands first
and foremost, but it must be remembered that the machine has come to
stay, and the artist must endeavour to realise something of the great
possibilities that there are in this direction. Although the product
of the machine can never equal that of handcraft, there is no reason
why, if there is intelligent co-operation between the artist and the
manufacturer, the greater part of the work produced should not be
infinitely superior in character than is so often the case.
There are numerous ways in which the machine is employed in which it
would be quite impossible adequately to deal with the matter from a
craftsman’s standpoint. To mention just one branch alone: Christmas
cards and calendars. It would be quite impossible to do all these by
hand, and yet it is certainly desirable that they should be done in
the best possible taste and in as efficient a manner as possible. It is
here that the opportunity for the properly trained artist arises, and,
if he gives of his best workmanship, the finished production should be
all the better through his influence.
This is surely a sufficient excuse for dealing with the various
developments of illumination commercially.
Book decoration, both in connection with MS. book and the printed
book, is, however, the thing most in keeping with the true spirit of
illumination. Illumination seems to be bound up with book production,
and, if the modern collector could only see that a fine illuminated
manuscript was a work of art as desirable as a picture for a permanent
possession, there ought to be a fair demand for the work of the modern
illuminator.
The illuminated MS. book is, without doubt, the ideal work for the
illuminator, and it seems a pity that there should not be a greater
demand than there is at the present time. Certainly an illuminated
manuscript book, specially written, would be much better for a
presentation than the average illuminated testimonial, and it would
probably meet with far more appreciation.
No one would be so foolish as to wish to do away with the printed book,
as this has now become a necessity, but surely the manuscript book
should not be altogether a thing of the past!
Some people are of the opinion that it is a waste of time producing
illuminated manuscripts in the present day. Still, is time ever wasted
in producing beautiful workmanship? Surely not. The time spent in the
production of any real work of art is never wasted.
Poetry, when mixed up with commercial matter and obviously printed
by commercial methods, loses considerably because the surroundings
are uncongenial. However, the illuminated manuscript enhances it by
presenting it in an artistic form.
Probably nothing offers a better opportunity for the illuminator, as
a subject for an illuminated volume, than poetry. The illuminated
rendering seems to give it an extra quality. The antiquity of the
illuminated book, and the fact that it was a means of presenting the
romances of the Middle Ages, makes it the natural vehicle for the
poetic message.
Its value for liturgical purposes is also of importance, and certainly
it has been more generally used for this purpose than any other in the
past. Probably the reason why it is so suited to this is owing to the
conservative nature of liturgy demanding antique associations.
No doubt, like most other hand methods of production, the demand for
this must necessarily be limited, as the modern craze for cheapness
renders the price impossible to any large extent. Therefore it can
never be expected to enter into competition with the printed book.
Also printing has now become a separate art--at least, the style of
lettering and decoration owes little or nothing to the illuminated
manuscript as was the case with the earliest European printed books.
The art of printing has, however, developed considerably since those
times, and, the character now being totally different, consequently
there is no reason why the printed book should be an imitation of the
manuscript.
Illumination and printing should both develop along their special
lines, the developments of both depending on the exigencies of the
materials employed. Thus, in relation to the printed book, the printing
process should be developed to get the best results possible.
Probably the ideal printed book would have the decoration printed from
wood-blocks engraved by the artist himself. If the decoration and
illustrations take the form of reproductions of drawings there can
never be the same life and vitality as when the whole is the direct
creation of the artist.
Of course, this is mentioned merely as an ideal of what the printed
book should be. In practice, however, one is not always able to work
up to this standard. Reproduction by means of line blocks is probably
one of the best forms of process work that can be employed in book
decoration.
Any peculiar qualities that the form of press or machine used is
able to give should be used to advantage. The printer should seize
every opportunity which occurs that may help to render his work more
effective.
Although it is not desirable that the printer should imitate the work
of the illuminator, there is certainly no reason why they should
not work together as suggested in Chapter XXVII, the illuminator
adding illuminated initials, borders, and other decoration so that
the completed volume represents the work of the printer and the
illuminator. This was often done in the early days of printing, and
there is surely the possibility of good work being done in this way at
the present time.
There certainly ought to be plenty of opportunities for the illuminator
even in the present day. It is, however, of the utmost importance that
he should be able to produce high-class workmanship. Weak, amateurish
efforts have no commercial value. To attain perfection patient and
sincere effort is required.