Exhibition 'Neo-Romantic Book Illustration in Britain 1943 - 1955' in Heath Robinson Museum
Neo-Romanticism was an art movement that drew inspiration partly from the landscapes of Samuel Palmer and the illustrations of William Blake, but also from more recent art movements such as cubism. It focused on the emotional content of the work, prioritising content over form.
Our Special Exhibition is about the Neo-Romantic period in illustration after World War II. A new spirit of romanticism – a focus on nature, emotion and individual expression - suffused book and magazine illustration, as people reacted against the gloom of blackout and rationing.
The artists represented in the exhibition include John Minton, Keith Vaughan, Eric Fraser, John Craxton, Michael Ayrton, Edward Bawden, Barnett Freedman and Henry Moore.
The large number of the paintings produced in that time were intense, colourful, sometimes disturbing. Several publishers picked them up, seeing them as a way to make both classics and new books appear up-to-date and reflecting the way people felt at the time.