An Illustration is a visualisation such as drawing, painting,
photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more
than form. The aim of an Illustration is to elucidate or decorate
a story, poem or piece of textual information (such as a newspaper
article) Traditionally by providing a visual representation
of something described in the text.
* giving faces to characters in a story;
* displaying a number of examples of an item described in
an academic textbook (e.g. A Typology);
* visualising step-wise sets of instructions in a technical
manual.
* communicating subtle thematic tone in a narrative.
* linking brands to the ideas of human expression, invididuality
and creativity.
* making a reader laugh or smile.
History
Illustration can be traced back to prehistoric cave paintings
and hieroglyphics all through history to today.
The American "golden age of illustration" lasted
from the 1880s until shortly after World War I (although the
active career of several later "golden age" illustrators
went on for another few decades). This was a time when newspapers,
mass market magazines, and illustrated books were the most
dominant media available. Improvements in printing technology
freed illustrators to experiment with color and new rendering
techniques. A small group of illustrators in this time became
rich and famous. The imagery they created was a portrait of
American aspirations of the time.
In Europe, golden age artists were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites
and by such design-oriented movements as the Arts and Crafts
Movement, Art Nouveau, and Les Nabis. Leading artists included
Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Rackham
and Kay Nielsen. American illustration of this period was
anchored by the Brandywine Valley tradition, begun by Howard
Pyle and carried on by his students, who included Norman Rockwell,
Haddon Sundblom, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Schoonover
and Edwin Austin Abbey.
However, Illustrators in the 90's confronted a challenge
from computer softwares especially Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw,
CAD, etc. Most of the new generation illustrators were trained
at colleges directly in front of the screen.
