~Oskar Klever~

  .    
Oskar Yulievich Klever (1887 - 1975) belonged
to an old artistic family, actually of Baltic origin,
but since Catherine II's days, the family had been
active in St. Petersburg (Leningrad).
Oskar Klever's father, Julij Juljevitch Klever,
once was a much acknowledged landscape painter
who was appointed professor at the Academy of
Fine Arts and ennobled by the Czar. One of
Oskar Klever's uncles, a sister, and a brother
were also active painters. Today, the works of the
various family members are shown in Russian museums.
..
The artistic education and evolving painting
activity of Oskar Klever took place before the
Russian Revolution in 1917. Klever started as
a landscape painter, but in time the scene-painting
became his favorite form of expression -
not least after the revolution which did in many
ways change the premises of his artistic work.
He painted decorations and drew costumes for several
theatres in Leningrad and environs, he worked as
a producer, indeed even as an actor.
Also the puppet theatre and amateur
theatres profited from his energy.
.
.
.
.
Ever since his youth, Oskar Klever had been
absorbed by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales
and stories. In fact, it was an Andersen picture
that effected his entrance to the St. Petersburg Academy
of Fine Arts. In the course of time, he created a
collection of some 50 paintings, all in watercolour.
During the World War II, when Germans put him into
prisoner's camp, one can only wonder how he managed
to procure paper, colours and brushes.
He indeed knew Andersen's texts by heart,
and along with the painting he was telling fairy tales
to the children in the camp.
.

.

.
Oskar Klever's paintings which have been created
within a great span of years - 1915-64 – are
illustrations of 28 of Andersen's fairy tales and stories.
It is significant that the artist has disregarded several
of the most famous and most often translated and
illustrated fairy tales, whereas several of the less
known works from Andersen's late years,
the 1850'ies and the 1860'ies, has especially
claimed his attention and inspired him in his painting.
.

.
Klever transferred his works to
The Hans Christian Andersen Museum in 1968.
The 46 illustrations were published for the very
first time in bookform in H.C. Andersen.
Eventyr. Illustrationer af Oskar Klever
('Hans Christian Andersen. Fairy Tales. Illustrations
by Oskar Klever'), with a foreword by Johan de Mylius,
Gyldendal, Copenhagen 1991.
.

~The Golden Goose~

    .    
There was a man who had three sons, the youngest of
whom was considered very silly, and everybody used
to mock him and make fun of him.
The eldest son wanted to go and cut wood in the forest,
and before he left home his mother prepared beautiful
pancakes and a bottle of wine for him to take with him,
so that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.
As he entered the forest he met a gray old man,
who bade him "Good-morning," and said: "Give me a little
piece of cake out of your basket and a drop of wine out
of your bottle, for I am very hungry and thirsty."
But the clever son replied: "What, give you my cake
and my wine! Why, if I did, I should have none for myself.
Not I, indeed, so take yourself off!" and he left the man
standing and went on.
.
.
The young man began cutting
down a tree, but it was not long before he made a false
stroke: the axe slipped and cut his arm so badly that
he was obliged to go home and have it bound up.
Now, this false stroke was caused by the little gray old man.
.
.
Next day the second son went into the forest to cut wood,
and his mother gave him a cake and a bottle of wine.
As he entered the wood the same little old man met
him, and begged for a piece of cake and a drop of wine.
But the second son answered rudely: "What I might
give to you I shall want myself, so be off." Then he left
the little old man standing in the road, and walked on.
His punishment soon came; he had scarcely given two
strokes on a tree with his axe, when he hit his leg
such a terrible blow that he was obliged to limp home
in great pain. Then the stupid son said to his father,
"Let me go for once and cut wood in the forest."
But his father said: "No, your brothers have been
hurt already, and it would be worse for you, who don't
understand wood-cutting." The boy, however, begged
so hard to be allowed to go that his father said:
..
"There, get along with you; you will buy your experience
very dearly, I expect." His mother, however, gave him a cake
which had been made with water and baked in the ashes,
and a bottle of sour beer. When he reached the wood the very
same little old man met him, and after greeting him kindly,
said: "Give me a little of your cake and a drop from your
bottle, for I am very hungry and thirsty."
"Oh," replied the simple youth, "I have only a cake,
which has been baked in the ashes, and some sour beer;
but you are welcome to a share of it. Let us sit down,
and eat and drink together." So they seated themselves,
and, lo and behold, when the youth opened his basket,
the cake had been turned into a beautiful cake,
and the sour beer into wine.
..
After they had eaten and drank enough,
the little old man said: "Because you
have been kind-hearted, and shared your dinner with me,
I will make you in future lucky in all you undertake.
There stands an old tree; cut it down, and you will find
something good at the root." Then the old man said
"Farewell," and left him. The youth set to work,
and very soon succeeded in felling the tree, when he found
sitting at the roots a goose, whose feathers were of pure gold.
.

Read the rest of the story here:

All pictures by
L. Leslie Brooke (1862-1940)

~W. Heath Robinson~

.
William Heath Robinson was born 31 May 1872
and died on 13 September 1944
He was an English cartoonist and illustrator,
who signed himself  W.Heath Robinson.
He is best known for drawings of eccentric machines
and "Heath Robinson" has entered the language
(in British usage) as a description of any unnecessarily
complex and implausible contraption,
similar to Rube Goldberg in the United States. 
~
William Heath Robinson werd geboren op 31 Mei 1872 
en is overleden op 13 September 1944
Hij was een Engelse Cartoonist en illustrator.
Hij is bekend geworden door zijn tekeningen van
excentrische machines, vergelijkbaar met
Rube Goldberg
..
William Heath Robinson was born into a family
of artists in Islington, London.
His father and brothers Thomas Heath Robinson
and Charles Robinson were all illustrators.
His early career was as a book illustrator,
for example in Hans Christian Andersen's ..
Danish Fairy Tales and Legends (1897);
The Arabian Nights, (1899);
Tales From Shakespeare (1902), and
Twelfth Night (1908),
Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913),
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1914),
Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies (1915),
and Walter de la Mare’s Peacock Pie (1916).
~
William Heath Robinson werd geboren in een
familie van kunstenaars in Islington, Londen.
Zijn vader en broers Thomas Heath Robinson
en Charles Robinson waren allen illustratoren.
Zijn vroege carrière begon als een boek illustrator,
bijvoorbeeld Hans Christian Andersen's
Danish Fairy Tales and Legends (1897);
The Arabian Nights, (1899);
Tales From Shakespeare (1902), and
Twelfth Night (1908),
Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913),
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1914),
Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies (1915),
and Walter de la Mare’s Peacock Pie (1916).
. .
In the course of this however he also wrote and
illustrated two children's books,
The Adventures of Uncle Lubin (1902) and
Bill the Minder (1912); these are regarded
as the start of his career in the depiction of
unlikely machines. During the First World War
he drew large numbers of cartoons, collected as
Some "Frightful" War Pictures (1915),
Hunlikely! (1916), and Flypapers (1919), depicting
ever-more-unlikely secret weapons
being used by the combatants.
~
In de loop van tijd  schreef hij ook
2 geïllustreerde kinderboeken
De Avonturen van oom Lubin (1902) en
Bill Minder (1912), deze worden beschouwd
als het begin van zijn carrière in de uitbeelding van
onwaarschijnlijk machines. Tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog
hij tekende een groot aantal cartoons, verzameld in
Sommige "Frightful" War Pictures (1915),
Hunlikely! (1916), en Flypapers (1919), voorstellende
steeds meer-onwaarschijnlijk geheime wapens
wordt gebruikt door de strijders.
.

.
~ Gallery ~
.

~Hans-My-Hedgehog~

Once there lived a farmer, who was blessed with plenty
of money and property. But as rich as he was, there
was one thing missing from his fortune: he and his wife
had no children. Often when he went into the city
with the other farmers, they mocked him and asked
why he didn’t have any children.
Finally he became so angry that one day when he returned
home he said “I want a child, even if it’s a hedgehog.”
.
And so it was, his wife soon bore a son. But the top
of the child’s body was a hedgehog and only the lower
part was a boy. When the farmer’s wife saw the child,
she recoiled and said “See what you
have brought down upon us!”
. .
The man replied “It's no use complaining now!
The boy must be baptized and I doubt very much
we will be able to find a godfather.”
His wife answered “That doesn’t matter because the only name
we can use to baptize him is Hans-My-Hedgehog.”
.
Eight years later,  there was a market in the city and
the farmer wanted to go. He asked his wife what he should
bring her. “A bit of meat and a few rolls, those things we
need for our household,” she answered.
Then he asked the maid. She wanted slippers and a
few socks. Finally he asked “Hans-My-Hedgehog, what
do you want?” “Dear father,” he said “Bring me a bagpipe.”
.
When the farmer returned home, he gave his wife
what he had purchased, meat and bread.
Then he gave the maid the slippers and stockings.
Finally he went behind the stove and gave
Hans-My-Hedgehog the bagpipe.
And when Hans-My-Hedgehog had the bagpipe, he said
“Dear father, go to the smithy and have him shoe my
rooster, because I want to ride away and never more return.”
The father was pleased that he would be rid of him and
had the rooster shod. When it was finished,
Hans-My-Hedgehog mounted the bird and rode away.
He took with him several pigs and donkeys, which he
wanted to graze in the forest. Once in the forest,
the rooster flew with him up into a high tree.
There he sat and guarded the donkeys and pigs and sat
many years until, finally, the herd was very large.
But his father didn’t know anything about him.
As he passed his time sitting in the tree, he blew into
his bagpipe and made music and it was very beautiful.
.
Once a king came riding by. He became lost and heard
the music. In amazement, he sent his servant and
said he should look around and see where the music
was coming from. But the servant found nothing else
than a small animal sitting up in a tree. It looked like a
rooster on which a hedgehog sat playing music.
The king told his servant he should ask why he was sitting
there and whether he knew the way back to his kingdom.
Hans-My-Hedgehog climbed down from the tree and said
he would show the way if the king would promise to write
down and promise to him the first thing he encountered
at the royal court when he returned home.
.
.
The king thought “That will be easy. Hans-My-Hedgehog
can’t read and I can write down whatever I want.”
The king took a quill and some ink and wrote something
down and when it was done, Hans-My-Hedgehog showed
him the way and he arrived happily at home.
But it was his daughter who saw him from afar and was so happy
that she ran to meet him and kissed him.
The king thought about Hans-My-Hedgehog and told her
what had happened and that the strange creature told him
to write down the first thing he encountered.
And the little animal sat on a rooster like a horse and
played pretty music. He intended to write down something
but Hans-My-Hedgehog couldn’t read it anyway.
The princess was happy with this solution and said,
she never wanted to leave the king’s castle.
.

Grimm indeed!

~Read the rest of the story here!

~Sunday Poem~

 from: The House Of Clouds by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Painting by Maxwell Parrish



I would build a cloudy House
For my thoughts to live in;
When for earth too fancy-loose
And too low for Heaven!
Hush! I talk my dream aloud---
I build it bright to see,---
I build it on the moonlit cloud,
To which I looked with thee.

~Jessie Marion King~

.
Jessie Marion King
born March 20, 1875 and died August 3, 1949
She was a Scottish painter and illustrator
of Children's books.
.

.
She was born in Bearsden, near Glasgow.
Her father was a minister with the Church of Scotland
and she received a strict religious education and was
discouraged from becoming an artist. Jessie M. King
began training as an Art teacher in 1891 at
Queen Margaret’s College. In 1892 she entered the
Glasgow School of Art. As a student, she received a number
of awards, including her first silver medal from
the National Competition, South Kensington (1898).
.

      .
King was made Tutor in Book Decoration and Design
at Glasgow School of Art in 1899. Her first published
designs, and some people believe her finest,
were for the covers of books published by Globus Verlag,
Berlin between 1899 and 1902. The publisher was
a subsidiary company of the great Berlin department store,
Wertheim's. She was influenced by the Art Nouveau
of the period and her works juxtaposed in
mood with that of The Glasgow Four.
.

.
She made a Grand Tour of Germany and Italy
in 1902 and was influenced by the works of Botticelli.
In the same year her binding for "L'Evangile de L'Enfance"
was awarded a gold medal in the International Exhibition
of Modern Decorative Art, held in Turin.
King became a committee member of the Glasgow Society
of Artists (1903) and a member of the
Glasgow Society of Lady Artists (1905).
.

.
Her contribution to Art Nouveau peaked during
her first exhibitions, Annan's Gallery in Glasgow (1907)
and Bruton Street Galleries, London (1905).
She married E. A. Taylor in 1907 and moved
with him to Salford. In 1910 they moved on to Paris
where Taylor had gained a professorship at
Tudor Hart's Studios. In 1911 King and Taylor
opened the Shearing Atelier School in Paris.
Her works in Paris are considered as influential to the
creation of the Art Deco movement. King and Taylor
moved to Kirkcudbright in 1915 and continued
to work there until her death in 1949.
.

 

http://www.ortakales.com/illustrators/King.html

http://jessiemking.blogspot.com/
.His Dream: He would bring her acorn cups
and dew drenched anemones and tiny glow worms
to be stars in the pale gold of her hair.

- The Dwarf's Dream by Jessie M. King for
The Birthday of the Infanta, by Oscar Wilde

~Waterhouse~

.
John William Waterhouse werd geboren in
Rome op 6 april 1849 en is overleden in Londen op
10 februari 1917. Hij was een Engels schilder. Ook zijn vader was kunstschilder. Hij wordt gerekend tot de Prerafaëlieten.
.
.
Na zijn opleiding aan een middelbare school in Leeds ging
hij als leerling in het vak beeldhouwen naar de Royal Academy
of Arts in Londen. Daar stapte hij al na een half jaar op
om zelfstandig te gaan werken en dan voornamelijk als
schilder. Hij werkte in Londen in de Primrose Hill Studios
in de wijk Kensington maar woonde een paar kilometer
verderop aan de Abbey Road.
Zijn voorkeur ging uit naar mythologische voorstellingen.
..
John William Waterhouse (1849-1917),
affectionately known as Nino in his younger days,
was born in Rome on the 6th of April, 1849.
Both of his parents were English painters who moved to
Italy in pursuit of art. Waterhouse and his parents
eventually moved back to England some time in
the late 1850's. While growing up, Waterhouse assisted
his father in art studio where the young Waterhouse
developed his talents for sculpting and painting.
In England, after several attempts at admission to
the Royal Academy, he finally succeeded entrance in
1870. In 1885, Waterhouse became an Associate of the
Royal Academy, and then a full member,
Royal Academician, in 1895.
.
 
. .
Met zijn gekleurde, geladen afbeeldingen van vrouwen
kreeg Waterhouse veel waardering in het Britse Rijk
en op de Wereldtentoonstellingen in de 19e eeuw.
Inspiratie ontleende Waterhouse aan schrijvers zoals
Ovidius, Keats, Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Tennyson en Dante.
Vaak waren dat loftuitingen op zijn hartstochtelijke
passie voor vrouwen, water, natuur, liefde en dood,
vaak met duistere ondertonen.
. .
Over Waterhouse bestaan weinig documenten.
Er zijn, voor zover bekend, geen brieven of dagboeken
bewaard gebleven. We weten over zijn persoonlijkheid
en voorkeuren dan ook weinig.
. .
Eén van zijn beroemdste schilderijen is
The Lady of Shalott.
Het is te zien in de Tate Gallery in Londen.
.. .
Although often classified as a Pre-raphaelite for his
style and themes, Waterhouse is truly a Neo-Classic painter.
Some of Waterhouse's earlier works were focused on
Italian themes and scenery, reflecting his love for his
birth place. Later on, his works picked up the styles and
classical themes of Pre-raphaelites such as Alma-Tadema
and Frederick Leighton. Waterhouse went on to paint well
over 200 paintings depicting classical mythogolgy,
historical and literary subjects, particularly those of
Roman mythology and classic English poets such as
Keats and Tennyson. Femme fatale is a common theme
in his works, as most are of beautiful elegaic women
and of many men are victims.

http://www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.net/biography.html
..

~Neil Gaiman~

. 
I like the stars. It’s the illusion of permanence,
I think. I mean, they’re always flaring up and caving in
and going out. But from here, I can pretend…
I can pretend that things last.
I can pretend that lives last longer than moments.
Gods come, and gods go.
Mortals flicker and flash and fade.
Worlds don’t last; and stars and galaxies are transient,
fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies
and vanish into cold and dust.
But I can pretend.
~Neil Gaiman~
.

  .
Touch the wooden gate in the wall
you never saw before.
Say "please" before you open the latch,
go through, walk down the path.
A red metal imp hangs from the green-painted
front door, as a knocker
.
do not touch it; it will bite your fingers.
Walk through the house. Take nothing.
Eat nothing.
.
However, if any creature tells you that it hungers,
feed it.
If it tells you that it is dirty,
clean it.
If it cries to you that it hurts,
if you can, ease its pain.
.
From the back garden you will be
able to see the wild wood.
The deep well you walk past leads to Winter's realm;
there is another land at the bottom of it.
.
If you turn around here,
you can walk back, safely;
you will lose no face. I will think no less of you.
.
Once through the garden you will be in the wood.
The trees are old. Eyes peer from the under-growth.
Beneath a twisted oak sits an old woman.
She may ask for something; give it to her.
She will point the way to the castle.
.
Inside it are three princesses.
Do not trust the youngest. Walk on.
In the clearing beyond the castle the twelve
months sit about a fire,
warming their feet, exchanging tales.
They may do favors for you, if you are polite.
You may pick strawberries in December's frost.
.. 
Trust the wolves, but do not tell them where
you are going.
The river can be crossed by the ferry.
The ferry-man will take you.
.
(The answer to his question is this:
If he hands the oar to his passenger,
he will be free to leave the boat.
Only tell him this from a safe distance.)
.
If an eagle gives you a feather, keep it safe.
Remember: that giants sleep too soundly; that
witches are often betrayed by their appetites;
dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always;
hearts can be well-hidden,
and you betray them with your tongue.
.
Do not be jealous of your sister.
Know that diamonds and roses
are as uncomfortable when they tumble from
one's lips as toads and frogs:
colder, too, and sharper, and they cut.
Remember your name.
.
Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped
to help you in their turn.
.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story.
When you come back, return the way you came.
Favors will be returned, debts will be repaid.
Do not forget your manners.
Do not look back.
.
Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall).
Ride the silver fish (you will not drown).
Ride the grey wolf (hold tightly to his fur).
There is a worm at the heart of the tower;
that is why it will not stand.
.
When you reach the little house, the place your
journey started,
you will recognize it, although it will seem
much smaller than you remember.
.
Walk up the path, and through the garden gate
you never saw before but once.
And then go home. Or make a home.
And rest.
.

.
“This is a poem about what to do if you find yourself
in a Fairy Tale. It is guaranteed to work.
If you find yourself in a Fairy Tale, and,
despite following these instructions to the letter,
you are eaten by wolves or lost, never to be seen again,
the publisher will refund the cost of this CD.”
~Neil Gaiman~
.
http://www.neilgaiman.net/speaking-in-tongues.php

~E.H SHEPARD~

.
Ernest Howard Sheperd (1879-1976)

Ernest Howard Shepard brought Winnie the Pooh
and Friends to life with his enchanting and captivating
drawings. He was born in St John's Wood, London,
England on the 10th December 1879, Ernest's parents,
Henry and Harriet told their son to always have a pencil
and paper with him, so he could draw anything he saw
which interested him. So throughout his life Ernest
carried a notebook with him to jot down sketches and notes.
These notebooks are now part of The Shepard
Archive at Surrey University, and they span 79 years .
~
Ernest Shepard is in Londen geboren op 10 december, 1879,
als de zoon van een architect. Toen hij nog een kind was,
had Ernest 2 hobby's - kijken naar de soldaten die
oefenden en tekenen. Hij besloot een carrière als
kunstenaar te beginnen en werd daarvoor aangemoedigd
door zijn vader. Na een speciale kunstschool,
ging Shepard in 1897 naar de Royal Academy School
als een van de jongste studenten.
.
.
Ernest attended the Church of England school in
Baker Street, and he was only 11 years old when his
mother died. His father sent Ernest and his elder sister Ethel
and brother Cyril to live with his sisters in Bloomsbury.
At 13 years old Ernest started school at St. Pauls, after leaving
there he began a years couse at Heatherley School of Fine Art.
He progressed so well that he won a scholarship to
the Royal Academy which he began in 1897.
.
. 
He was honoured in 1921 to be invited to become
a member of Punch and he accepted. It was during one
of the Punch meetings that Ernest was asked to illustrate
some children's verses written by A. A. Milne.
Milne and Shepard spent many hours together in
Ashdown Forest , where the stories took place.
Ernest drew sketches of pine trees, and forest scenes and
these sketches and many others can be seen in the
Victoria and Albert Museum. His partnership with
Milne produced two children's books of verses,
and two Winnie the Pooh books, which are now
famous throughout the world.
.
Hij werd uitgenodigd om mee te doen aan de
Punch Editorial Table. Hij had eindelijk zijn droom
doen uitkomen: werken voor Punch. Het is hier dat hij
E.V. Lucas ontmoete, die hem later voorstelde
aan Alan Milne.
Wanneer A.A. Milne aan E.V. Lucas vroeg of hij iemand
wist die de illustratie kon doen van een aantal kinderversjes
die hij zou publiceren in Punch gaf hij de naam van Shepard op.
Eerst was Milne er niet echt happig op om Shepard te
gebruiken, maar wanneer zijn illustraties een echt succes
werden mocht Shepard alle illustraties van de Pooh
boeken doen.
.
.
In 1930 he was asked to draw the illustrations for
Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" which
was to become another famous and much loved book.
In November of the same year Ernest drew a unique
birthday card for his friend Ruth Draper.
It featured characters from the Pooh stories and
Wind in the Willows. This picture is now part of
the Shepard Archive.
..
Tijdens de rest van zijn carrière illustreerde hij nog
vele boeken voor de beste auteurs in die periode,
waarbij een aantal voor Kenneth Grahame.
Shepard was eigenlijk de vierde tekenaar om de figuren
van 'Wind in the Willows' te tekenen, maar hij was de
enige dat er in slaagde om de juiste diertjes te maken
die Grahame in gedachten had. Hij bleef zijn hele leven
aan het werk als illustrator en hij slaagde er zelf in
om zijn eigen kinderboeken te schrijven op ongeveer
zijn tachtigste. Deze noemde 'Ben and Brook' (1966)
en 'Betsy and Joe' (1967). Hoewel de boeken niet
veel populariteit hadden, deed het Shepard veel plezier
dat ze gewoon al gepubliceerd werden.
Ook kleurde Shepard zijn originele tekeningen voor
nieuwe edities van 'Winnie the Pooh' (1973) en
'The House at Pooh Corner' (1974). 'The Pooh Story Book',
uitgegeven in 1976, bevatte nieuwe lijnen en
gekleurde prenten van Shepard.
.
.
On the 24th March Ernest Howard Shepard died
aged 96 years at Midhurst in Sussex.

He gave the world so many original and wonderful
drawings, but he is best remembered as
the man who drew Pooh.
..
Ernest Shepard stierf op 24 maart 1976,
in het 50ste verjaardagsjaar van 'Winnie-the-Pooh'
op 96 jarige leeftijd in Midhurst in Sussex.
Hij heeft vele werkelijk prachtige tekeningen
gemaakt maar hij zal altijd herinnerd worden
als de man die Poeh tekende!
..
.
A.A Milne inscribed a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh
with the following personal verse:

When I am gone,
Let Shepard decorate my tomb,
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone:
Piglet from page a hundred and eleven,
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157)…
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to Heaven.
.