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It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitations, with assurance, admire what is beautiful.
–Vincent van Gogh

Artists & Books

For as long as books have been illustrated, artists have been central to their creation.

Since the Middle Ages, the role of illustrator has been an increasingly specialised one. While visual artists have regularly been involved in the production of images appearing in books, others have adopted the book itself as their medium of choice. Spectacular works of illustration, like Opere di Giovanni Battista Piranesi even became the pattern books for the architecture and design of the Enlightenment.

Since the early 20th century, the book has provided artists with a form in which to explore new means of expression. Page, text, image, binding, shape and size are all aspects of a book that have been deconstructed and reconstructed through the experimentation of the artist. Recent works, like A Gardener at Midnight, juxtapose text and fabulist imagery using production methods and photomontage that harken back to earlier artists and their work.

Through the creation of books as artworks, artists encourage us to consider the very question: what makes a book and what distinguishes it from other forms of artistic expression?